In their first match at Goodman Diamond, the University of Wisconsin softball team squared off against Illinois in a Big Ten border battle over the weekend.
The Badgers, who came off a 2-1 weekend against Michigan State, were looking to continue their success. They faced a Fighting Illini crew who was still looking for their first conference win after being swept by Rutgers.
Tessa Magnanimo was the star for Wisconsin over the weekend. The senior threw a total of 18 innings during the three-game series and carried the Badgers’ pitching staff to a winning weekend. Magnanimo’s game coupled with home runs from the offense guided UW to a 6-2 victory.
The Badgers fell behind early after Illinois put up two quick runs in the first inning. After that, the Badgers responded with six unanswered points of their own. Kayla Konwent and Ellie Hubbard each homered and finished with a pair of RBIs. Brooke Kuffel had a 2-RBI single, starting an exemplary offensive weekend for the sophomore.
Saturday’s game was postponed due to weather and pushed to Sunday, setting up a doubleheader between these two foes.
In the second game of the weekend, the Fighting Illini got to Maddie Schwartz and overcame an early 3-0 deficit, eventually winning 6-4. Christaana Angelopulos went 2-for-3 from the plate, including a home run in the sixth. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, it was not enough. Illinois’ pitching staff was able to get enough outs in the late innings to limit the Wisconsin offense to four runs.
That was not the case in the final game of the series, though, as the Badgers responded in an aggressive way. Highlighted by two-run home runs from Hubbard and Kuffel, who emerged as the leading producers on the offensive side of the plate throughout the weekend, the first four batters of the game scored.
Wisconsin plated five more runs in the second inning and extended its lead to 9-1. Kuffel, the Illinois native, was a thorn in the side of the Fighting Illini. She launched a no-doubt three-run home run to left field, her second in as many at bats.
The offense eventually cooled down, which put the game in the hands of Magnanimo and the defense. Illinois put up a fight and made a valiant comeback, highlighted by clutch hits and defensive miscues, but just fell short with a final score of 10-9.
Despite struggling in the two games prior, Rylie Crane was an energizer in the final match of the weekend. The true freshman out of Arizona, went 2-for-3 from the plate with a double and scored two runs. Additionally, Crane was reliable at second base, converting every play that came her way.
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Katie Keller, the leadoff hitter, went 2-for-3. She put together another quality offensive weekend. Konwent wasn’t given an opportunity to hit in this one — she was walked once and hit by a pitch in three separate at bats during the Sunday Matinee.
Magnanimo, after giving up multiple runs in the third, fourth and fifth inning, shut down Illinois in the final two innings. Her effort sealed a split in the doubleheader and a series victory for Wisconsin.
UW moved to 4-2 against Big Ten competition, including 17-10 overall, placing them in a tie with Rutgers for third place behind Northwestern (6-1) and Indiana (8-0.)
This week, the Badgers welcome St. Thomas for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Then, Wisconsin returns to conference play and hits the road again to face-off against Purdue in Indiana, in a three-game weekend series.
