University of Wisconsin pitcher Letty Olivarez didn’t last three innings in starting the first game of UW’s doubleheader Wednesday night. Hours later, Leah Vanevenhoven followed suit, pulled at the same time in the second game. Where the Badgers’ starters struggled though, relief pitching came up big for UW.
After allowing four runs on seven hits in just over two innings, Olivarez was yanked in favor of Vanevenhoven, who was playing third base. Vanevenhoven responded by finishing the game and allowing no runs, as well as racking up seven strikeouts.
“It was fine, I mean, that’s what my job is, so I just have to be ready for that,” Vanevenhoven said of taking the circle in relief.
It was a dominant performance. She allowed no walks and just one hit in four innings. After that hit, a leadoff single in the fifth inning, Vanevenhoven struck out the next five batters she faced. That would begin of a streak of nine batters sent down in a row.
“Everything felt really good. I felt in control with all the batters — I was getting them on my drop balls, my changeups,” Vanevenhoven said.
Vanevenhoven got the starting nod in the second game, but the success would not carry over. Tired from the innings she pitched in the first game, Vanevenhoven gave up two runs in the third inning after hitting a batter and giving up a two-run homer to Green Bay’s Katie Cooney. Wisconsin chose to give the ball to the only other pitcher on the roster, sophomore Kristyn Hansen. Hansen pitched only 8.1 innings on the season prior to Wednesday, giving the relief appearance even more meaning.
“It was very exciting because I haven’t gotten to pitch very many times, being an [underclassman],” Hansen said.
The excitement translated into results, as Hansen allowed no runs on three hits and a walk. Even more impressive than her stats was her performance under pressure. With the bases loaded and only one out in the fifth inning, Hansen battled with Kendra Woepse before striking her out on the eighth pitch. She struck out a pinch hitter on four pitches in the next at bat to escape the inning.
“It was high pressure. Some pitches I was uncomfortable throwing, but my coach told me to throw them. I was just determined to do well,” Hansen said. “I think after I got the first strikeout, I just took a deep breath and said, ‘I’ll get this next one, and we’ll go hit.'”
“The last couple days, she had a good couple practices — she’s learning to pitch,” head coach Chandelle Schulte said of Hansen. “The difference between her and the other kids today is [that] she got into trouble and she got out of it.”
Day and night
After a lackadaisical performance in the early game, UW responded by having a complete reversal offensively in the late game. Much like the series last week against North Dakota, the Badgers came out and scored runs early in the second game en route to an 11-2 win.
Despite a valiant effort by Vanevenhoven in relief in the first game, the offense managed no runs on four hits. UW definitely had its chances, leaving 10 women on base courtesy of the seven walks issued by Green Bay pitcher Amanda Margelofsky.
“You know, I was just trying to do my best — I was just hoping the bats would come around,” Vanevenhoven said.
The bats wouldn’t come around until the second game, in which UW scored runs in every inning but the fourth. The Badgers scored five runs off of Green Bay starter Cooney in four innings, prompting a Phoenix pitching change. Relief pitcher Samantha Schmeltzer would fare no better, giving up six runs in her 1.2 innings. In total, the Badgers tallied 13 hits, including a towering two-run home run by Olivarez in the fifth. UW’s success was due in part do a more aggressive team mentality.
“I think we all had to take a deep breath and realize what we’re doing and who we’re playing, and just knowing we’re going to win and we have to win,” Hansen said. “By doing that, I think we all got on each other’s cases, and by doing that we all got energized and ready to go.”
Wisconsin’s 11 runs were the most scored by the team since a 12-13 loss to Boise State on Feb. 8. As per NCAA rules, the game was ended once the Badgers reached an eight-run lead in the bottom of the sixth. This was the first time this season UW mercy-ruled an opponent.