The UW softball team wrapped up tournament play on a good note Sunday, winning its final three contests at the University of South Florida Speedline Invitational. The weekend was highlighted by two record-setting performances from seniors Sam Polito and Eden Brock.
Polito scored the 113th and 114th runs of her career Sunday, and in doing so, permanently etched her name into UW's record books. The centerfielder became Wisconsin's all-time leader in runs scored, eclipsing the previous record held by Kris Zacher.
In the circle, Eden Brock tied her career high for strikeouts set earlier this year, fanning 14 Golden Flashes in her complete-game, three-hit win over Kent State. Brock then started UW's next game, tossing three shutout innings at Indiana before giving way to Letty Olivarez.
"We did a great job all around," assistant coach Barb Sherwood said. "Our kids played really well, pitching and hitting. Winning 3-1 against a good Kent State team was a great win for us, and beating Indiana is always nice."
The Badgers (15-7) had barely gotten off their plane when they were scheduled to compete in a double-header at the Stetson Round Robin in DeLand, Fla.
The Badgers defeated Maine 7-2 and followed that up with a 1-0 victory over Stetson. A throwing error by Stetson catcher Blythe Golden in the seventh inning allowed Katie Hnatyk to score from third, and freshman Letty Olivarez pitched seven strong innings for the win.
Following the round-robin sweep, the Badgers headed west to Tampa and the Speedline Invitational. UW dropped its first two tournament games at the Speedline Invite, getting shut out by Ball State 3-0 and losing to South Florida 4-2. Ball State pitcher Elizabeth Milian baffled Badger bats in the first game, with a Polito single being the only blemish on her one-hit gem.
"They played their hearts out against us," Sherwood said. "They played a complete game and were really perfect against us defensively. Offensively, they were clutch, and their pitcher did a fabulous job keeping us off balance."
But UW seemed to regain its balance by the time it matched up against Dartmouth. Joey Daniels' three-run bomb sparked Wisconsin's offense, and the Badgers pounded the Big Green 6-0. Wisconsin won its final three games of the tournament, beating Dartmouth, Kent State and Indiana by a combined score of 14-1, and won the No. 2 seed, single-elimination bracket.
Eden Brock finished the tournament with 23 1/3 innings pitched, including 17 in a row at one point, and improved her record to 8-4. Brock was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week two weeks ago, and based on her last handful of outings, she might just merit the award again. She has allowed just two earned runs in her last 27 2/3 innings pitched, and has further lowered her ERA to 1.62.
At the plate, Katie Hnatyk hit her ninth homer of the season to lead the charge against Kent State, and third baseman Ricci Robben continued her hot streak, going 4-for-4 with two doubles in Wisconsin's 5-0 win over Indiana. Robben hit a team-best .385 at the Invite, and her .345 average overall is second only to Hnatyk (.384) on the Badgers.
Wisconsin is off until it plays host to Loyola of Chicago Tuesday, March 27, at Goodman Stadium.
