[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]The Wisconsin softball team extended its winning streak to six with a doubleheader sweep over Northern Iowa, winning 7-3 and 4-3 yesterday at Goodman Diamond. Wisconsin improves to 22-20 (6-8 Big Ten) on the season and has now won seven of its last eight games.

Wisconsin recorded the victory in game one thanks in large part to very timely hitting, as the Badgers managed to score their first five runs with two outs.

Already holding a 1-0 lead, Wisconsin broke the game open in the bottom half of the third. The rally started with Badger runners on second and third with two outs and senior Natalie Phillips at the plate. Phillips shot the ball back up the middle to score the runner from third, bringing up senior Athena Vasquez. Vasquez crushed a line drive over the center fielder’s head that reached the wall, scoring both runners and allowing Vasquez to cruise into second, where she was promptly driven in via a seeing-eye single by senior shortstop Kris Zacher that barely snuck under the Panther second baseman’s glove, giving UW a 5-0 lead.

After a solo homerun by the Panthers’ Rachael Rogers, Wisconsin added two more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a lead-off triple by senior catcher Boo Gillette, giving the Badgers a 7-2 lead they would not relinquish.

Although Wisconsin coasted to victory, the game began inauspiciously for the Badgers, and could’ve even gone the other way if not for some solid fielding. Sophomore starter Eden Brock struggled with her control early on and found herself in a jam in the first inning. With runners on second and third with one out, courtesy of a walk, single and sacrifice bunt, Brock induced a slow tapper by Panther clean-up hitter Erin Strellner that rolled toward the third-base side of the mound. Senior shortstop Kris Zacher charged, bare-handed the ball and threw in the same motion and was able to throw out the runner at third in a very close play.

The inning ended when catcher Boo Gillette attempted to catch Strellner sleeping at second, but the throw was cut off by second baseman Athena Vasquez, who threw to third and picked off the runner to end the Panther threat.

“It was big. I think that it gives your pitcher confidence and gives your team confidence, and I think that from there on, we controlled that game pretty well,” head coach Karen Gallagher said.

The sharp fielding from game one was lacking early in game two, as a Wisconsin error led to an early lead for Northern Iowa. Nikki Ferden singled with one out in the first inning to reach first base, but then advanced to second after a Gillette pick-off attempt got away from first baseman Katie Hnatyk. Ferden then scored on a single by Strellner, giving the Panthers the 1-0 advantage.

Errors continued to hurt Wisconsin in the second inning. After walking a batter, Katie Layne faced Amanda Hess with one out and a runner on first. Hess grounded to Layne, who muffed the routine play, allowing Hess to reach base. The runners advanced to second and third on a sacrifice bunt and were driven in by Jamie Kelling, who looped a single that fell just in front of left fielder Ana Miller.

Still down 3-0 in the bottom of the third, Zacher came to the plate for UW, with Phillips on first and two outs. Zacher smashed a fly ball deep to left field. It appeared that Zacher had her sixth homerun of the season, but Kelling made the play of the day, jumping into the wall at full speed and reaching over the fence to rob Zacher of the round-tripper and preserve Northern Iowa’s three-run lead.

Wisconsin broke through in the fourth inning, when Gillette hit a ball where no outfielder could catch it. Gillette came to the plate with Sam Polito on first and cranked a bomb straight to center for her 10th homerun of the season, clearing the wall by nearly 50 feet and just missing the scoreboard, but bringing Wisconsin to within one, down 3-2.

“I think that is the farthest one I’ve ever hit,” Gillette said. “I knew as soon as I swung that it was gone. I mean, it wasn’t even a question.”

Wisconsin almost allowed Northern Iowa to add to its lead in the fifth after starter Katie Layne was lifted for walking her fifth and sixth batters of the game while only managing to get one Panther out. Brock relieved Layne and allowed a sharp single to load the bases, but struck out the next batter and prompted a pop fly to get out of the inning unscathed.

Freshman Ricci Robbin rewarded Brock by tying the score on a homerun of her own, skying a deep fly to right that was picked up by the stiff wind blowing to right field and carried just over the fence for Robbin’s sixth homer of the season.

The inning didn’t end there and, with two outs, Kris Zacher laced a single up the middle and stole second base to get into scoring position for Polito, who singled just past the first baseman, scoring Zacher, who ran on the play and completed the Wisconsin comeback.

The Badgers withstood rallies by the Panthers in the final two innings to come away with a narrow 4-3 victory.

Gallagher was very impressed with her team’s response to being down early yet again, as UW has made a habit of winning games in come-from-behind fashion this season.

“That’s kind of what we have been doing all year,” Gallagher said. “It’s not always the best way, but it’s exciting and I think it gives the kids hope that they are in every ball game and they don’t give up. That is what I love about this team — they don’t give up.”

Wisconsin returns to action this weekend when the team travels to Iowa for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday.