The University of Wisconsin softball team took their talents to the Sunshine State this weekend to play in the Joan Joyce Classic, hosted by Florida Atlantic University.
Before they could get there though, travel issues delayed their appearance in Boca Raton, Florida. These complications eventually postponed their match against Florida Atlantic University on Thursday. Despite a rough start to the weekend, the Badgers were able to get to the tournament site and win four games in two days. Here’s how Wisconsin swept the field.
Game One: Wisconsin vs. Boston College
The Badgers took on Boston College early in the morning Friday to kick off the tournament play. A quality balance of offense and dominant pitching — a theme for the weekend — sealed the victory for the Badgers in this one.
In the second inning, sophomore Brooke Kuffel, similar to last weekend in Georgia, homered to get the scoring started for the Badgers. In the fourth, Kuffel doubled to get her second RBI of the game. A sacrifice bunt from junior Peyton Bannon eventually led to a quick 3–0 lead for Wisconsin.
Pitcher Maddie Schwartz used that lead in the circle to cruise through the Eagles’ lineup without much trouble. When pitching, Schwartz struck out five batters and gave up zero runs in six innings of work, enough to secure her second win of the season.
The cardinal and white extended their edge in the final inning. The Badgers went on to take down the Eagles with a score of 6–0.
Kuffel finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs, a home run, a double and a walk. Junior Skylar Sirdashney was productive from the leadoff spot as well. She went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI.
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Game Two: Wisconsin vs. North Carolina
Game two of Friday and the weekend was a historic one from the circle as freshman Paytn Monticelli broke her own individual record for most strikeouts from a freshman pitcher in one game.
The high octane arm of Monticelli struck out 13 Tar Heels on Friday afternoon, marking the most strikeouts by any Badger since former UW pitcher Meghan McIntosh fanned 14 against Charleston Southern in 2012.
The Wisconsin offense took advantage of the flawless pitching performance of Monticelli, led by veteran slugger Kayla Konwent. Right away in the first inning, Konwent launched a two-run home run to deep center field, scoring Sirdashney and giving the Badgers a quick 2–0 lead.
Sophomore Molly Schlosser kept the momentum up by roping a triple to deep right center field. She drove in freshman Bree Mitchell and extended the lead to 3–0 after one inning of play.
That would be all of the runs Wisconsin needed in game two. An RBI fielder’s choice from freshman Rylie Crane gave the team a 4–0 advantage after four innings.
The Tar Heels got to Monticelli in the sixth inning. North Carolina infielder Abby Settlemyre homered to right center field, and she cut the lead in half at 4–2. Monticelli stayed strong though, finishing off North Carolina with her first collegiate complete game. She earned her second win of the season in the circle.
Offensively, Konwent was the bright spot for Wisconsin. She went 3-for-3, and her teammate Schlosser was 2-for-3 from the plate.
Game Three: Wisconsin vs. North Carolina
The next day, North Carolina was tasked with trying to figure out Monticelli again. The star freshman was almost successful in completing her second game in a row, but the Tar Heels got to her.
Fortunately for Wisconsin, the offense stepped up and got the job done. For the second straight day, Konwent was a thorn in North Carolina’s side. She started the scoring with a first-inning two-run home run.
Three innings later, Konwent scored via a sacrifice fly from Bannon. After a quiet fifth and sixth inning, the Badgers added two more runs in the seventh, courtesy of a Sirdashney double and an infielder Katie Keller sacrifice fly. These efforts propelled Wisconsin to a 5–0 lead heading into the final frame.
North Carolina was finally able to string together a few hits against Monticelli after she got the first two outs of the inning. After four straight hits, Wisconsin softball head coach Yvette Healy had to remove Monticelli.
Senior Tessa Magnanimo came in to replace her, but she gave up a walk and a hit. Magnanimo was removed quickly because the Tar Heels put up four runs.
With the game-winning run on first, Schwartz was able to snag a chopper that came back to her. This marked the third straight victory for the Badgers at 5–4.
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Game Four: Wisconsin vs. Villanova
Wisconsin followed up one intense game with another against the Villanova Wildcats in their final game of the Joan Joyce Classic.
Schwartz picked up where she left off, and she pitched three innings for the Badgers. The Wildcats got six hits off Schwartz and scored two runs against the right-hander.
It was a back-and-forth affair Saturday afternoon. The teams were knotted at two apiece after five innings. Keller and Konwent each had an RBI for the cardinal and white.
In the seventh inning, Wisconsin took advantage of being the home team to cap off the weekend. Sirdashney placed a squeeze bunt which rolled slowly up the third baseline to walk-off the game with a 3–2 final score. Before that, freshman Ava Kuszak got on base via a walk, and she was able to get to third base due to a sac bunt from sophomore Ellie Hubbard.
A performance which flew under the radar during this game was from pitcher Gabi Salo. She threw four shutout innings for Wisconsin and gave up zero hits. With six strikeouts, she earned herself her first win of the season.
To the Future
It was a very successful weekend for Wisconsin in Boca Raton. Konwent, Sirdashney and Keller have each reached the double-digit mark in hits in only 12 games of play.
In the circle, Monticelli enters week four with a 3-0 record and a 1.53 ERA. Schwartz has run into some bad luck as of late, but she picked up a win this weekend and holds a 2.70 ERA. As the No. 3 pitcher on the staff, Salo has been solid in her appearances. She’s pitched 9.33 innings and sits at a 0.75 ERA.
The team finished with a 5-2 record against the Atlantic Coast Conference on the season, with wins against Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Boston College.
The Badgers are back at it starting Thursday. They travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to face off against UW-Green Bay, IUPUI, Purdue Fort Wayne and Indiana.
Wisconsin will enter their next round robin with a 6-6 record and a four-game winning streak. UW-Madison looks to carry this momentum into the month of March.
