Of the Badgers' 10 hits in Tuesday's game against Illinois-Chicago, none was more clutch than Ricci Robben's RBI walk-off double in the seventh inning.
After third baseman Athena Vasquez doubled to lead off the inning, the designated hitter Robben, who was hitting .351 on the season before Tuesday's contest, had a chance to drive in the game-winning run.
In a surprising decision by the Flames, pitcher Sarah Clynes did not pitch around Robben with first base open and no outs.
"When Ricci got up there with a runner at second, the debate is: Do you bunt her to third, or do you let her swing away?" UW head coach Chandelle Schulte said. "She had two hits, so if you get one strike, you take it. You get a bunt. But there you go, first pitch … just that mentality to be aggressive. We want to hit. I don't really prefer to bunt."
Robben took advantage of the first pitch from Clynes, lacing a base hit to left field and bringing in Vasquez from second, picking up her 25th RBI of the season and securing the victory for the Badgers.
"She had gotten me out the first time on an inside pitch," Robben said. "I figured they were going to pitch to me."
"I was a little bit [surprised], because we had Alexis (Garcia) behind her," Schulte said. "Now they probably regret that."
Robben, who has been batting well all year, was the team's second highest hitter in terms of batting average, trailing centerfielder Sam Polito, who is hitting .360 this year.
The designated hitter Robben, however, was able to raise her average a few points to .366 with three hits on the day. She reached base in the first inning on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded, and singled in both the third and fourth innings. Her hit in the fourth drove in Polito for her first of two RBIs.
"We didn't capitalize early," Robben said. "It was good that we kept coming back."
"She's a ball player, and she gets it," Schulte said.
Brock dominates in two relief innings
In a relief appearance for the Badgers, pitcher Eden Brock looked as solid as she has all year. After freshman Letty Olivarez gave up three runs to Illinois-Chicago in five innings of work, Schulte decided to bring in the ace Brock for a relief stint.
With the game tied at three, Brock was utterly dominating in the sixth inning, striking out all three batters, Melissa Marinacci, Mallory Studzinski and Nikki Rogers.
In the seventh, Brock pitched another one-two-three inning, dousing the Flames in order. She got the leadoff batter Stephanie Chavez, who was pinch-hitting for Brittany Dixon, to ground out to shortstop Lynn Anderson. The next batter, pitcher Sarah Clynes, grounded to first base, where Garcia made the unassisted putout. She then went on to pick up her fourth strikeout of the evening, getting centerfielder Ashlee Ackerman to go down swinging.
"I just went out there and tried to do my best and help our team win," Brock said. "I focused on my pitches and tried to make them work."
Having pitched six innings Sunday against Purdue and seven innings Monday versus Indiana, both victories, Brock was hoping for a day's rest but was able to come out strong for Wisconsin.
"She's unbelievable," Schulte said. "She's been really sore, and I said, 'Can you do this?' And she goes, 'I'm going to finish the game.' … She's really confident right now, so that's good."
With the win Tuesday, her 13th of the season, Brock continued her domination of Illinois-Chicago. She is now 6-0 lifetime against the Flames and has not allowed UIC to score a run in 17 straight innings.
"It was a close game," Brock said. "I knew it was going to stay close the entire time, so I was just looking to try and help our team win in any way I could. If that means going in to play, then that's what I have to do."
