Although the University of Wisconsin lost both games of Saturday’s doubleheader versus Illinois, a closer inspection would reveal two polar opposite games.

In the first game, Monica Perry, the star hurler for the Fighting Illini, improved her record to 14-8 while pitching a no hitter game. The Illini mercy ruled the Badgers 8-0 over five innings and, had it not been for two walks issued by Perry, Wisconsin would have been the victim of a perfect game.

The Badgers’ Letty Olivarez was roughed up early, and the three errors by the defense certainly didn’t help matters en route to the loss. For as sloppy and uninspired ball as the Badgers played in the first game, one wouldn’t have recognized them as the same team come the second game.

Leah Vanevenhoven found herself in a seven-inning dogfight that unfortunately was so even, the officials ended up determining the game.

The tide changing play occurred in the top of the 6th inning, with the game tied at two, and an Illinois runner on third. The batter ripped a ball down the first base line, where nimble first basemen Alexis Garcia laid out to her left, snagged the ball, got up and fired home. Madison native Dana Rasmussen, playing her first series as catcher, had positioned herself perfectly facing the throw but kept her left leg along the third base line protecting the plate. The throw clearly beat the runner coming home, and Rasmussen applied the tag immediately, but to the dismay of head coach Chandelle Schulte and the rest of the Badgers, the runner was called safe. Probably the best perspective of all came from Rasmussen, the oft-used utility player.

“I thought I blocked it,” Rasmussen said. “I made the play I was supposed to make.”

While the controversial call certainly had an enormous impact on the game, the play never would have mattered had Vanevenhoven not given such a blue-collar performance.

To an Illini offense that boasts five players with three or more home runs and the same core of players who had just mercy ruled the Badgers in the first game, Vanevenhoven conceded only three runs. She scattered four hits and three strikeouts over the course of her seven innings. Maybe most impressive of all, she managed to keep star second basemen Danielle Zymkowitz, who is batting .459 and had three hits in the first game, at bay by keeping her off the bags and striking her out once.

“I was really proud of her effort but a lot of that was self-created as well,” Schulte said.

Leading up to the wildly disputed call, Vanevenhoven had walked a batter, thrown a passed ball and balked, but then induced a ground ball out to get the first out of the inning. Next, came the play at the plate, and even after the negative outcome, Vanevenhoven managed to battle her way out of the inning.

“I just wanted to make sure I hit my spots … I wasn’t going to let them dominate the game,” Vanevenhoven said. “I just knew I had to come out strong.”

The Badgers likely aren’t satisfied with two losses but that doesn’t mean a lot can’t be learned in defeat. After getting no-hit in the first game, the Badgers responded by playing arguably their most intense game of the season.

They hope this same intensity will be evident throughout the rest of the season especially in their upcoming two-game set versus Northern Iowa on Wednesday. Despite the outcome, Schulte was pleased with the effort brought forth by her team.

“I think that still means that they have fight in them and that’s just we’re looking for,” Schulte said.