The recent inclement weather in Madison may not be a big adjustment for the Wisconsin football team when the annual spring game rolls around this Saturday, but it is not the type of weather commonly found in a softball game.
Wednesday evening the weather was in the mid-30s as Wisconsin took on border-rival Minnesota in a Big Ten double-header. The Badgers split the series, winning the second game 5-3.
Badger pitcher Meghan McIntosh struggled in the first two innings of the second game.
After giving up a single to the first batter of the game, infielder Malisa Barnes, McIntosh proceeded to give up a two-run home run to catcher Kari Dorle in the first inning. With the score already at 2-0 in the top of the second inning, McIntosh gave up another run, this time a RBI single off the bat of Barnes. With bases loaded and already down three runs in the top of the second inning, McIntosh and the Badgers couldn’t afford to give up any more runs.
Minnesota’s Sara DuPaul hit a streamer between second and third base as sophomore Whitney Massey jumped up to make a run-saving, and quite possibly a game-saving, grab to end the inning. The catch proved to be a pivotal play in the game as it left three runners on base for Minnesota.
“I’m just glad I got it,” Massey said. “I think I read it right off the bat and I reached as far as I could. I saw it the whole way and knew I had it.”
Massey took her game-changing ability to the plate in the bottom half of the second inning, hitting an RBI single to help fuel a four-run inning for the Badgers. Massey finished the game 2-for-3, with a double.
“It just felt good to come through finally and do what I needed to do for the team,” Massey said.
Outfielder Kendall Grimm sent in the rest of the runs on one swing of the bat, hitting a three-run home run, her third of the season.
“It was so clutch,” Healy said. “A three-run homer changes the whole make up of the game.”
Freshman pitcher Amanda Najdek, who replaced McIntosh after two innings, was nearly flawless in her relief effort. The freshman retired the nine straight batters to end the game, striking out two of them.
“Throughout the season I’ve been building my confidence,” Najdek said. “Being a freshman, that’s my biggest thing.”
Another freshman pitcher, Cassandra Darrah, was equally as impressive in the Badgers’ first game, but the result was less fortunate. The Badgers were out-dueled 1-0 in a low-scoring pitching battle.
With the bases loaded in the top of the first inning, Darrah walked in the game’s only run. Infielder Shannel Blackshear was able to minimize the damage by turning an inning-ending double play, however, the run-scoring walk would end up being a crucial mistake.
“I had a pretty tight [strike] zone to begin with,” Darrah said. “It got better as the day went on, but I’m still working on hitting my spots the whole time.”
Freshman Mary Massei made her first appearance since suffering facial fractures at Penn State in late-March. Her presence was felt as she made a diving catch in the fourth inning followed by a triple in the fifth inning.
“She provided a huge offensive spark for us,” Healy said. “It was great to have her back.”
The Badgers didn’t get their first hit until Blackshear hit a single down the left field line in the fourth inning and did little the rest of the game to give Darrah any run support.
“[Darrah] did her job,” coach Yvette Healy said. “If she only holds them to one run, then we’ve got to be able to support her more than that.”
Moulton held the Badgers to only three hits in the game and struck out seven batters. Wisconsin simply couldn’t get anything going against the Gophers’ ace.
“We struggled with her some, but it was nice that we got the hits and the home run against her in the second game,” Healy said.
The Badgers head into the Easter weekend exactly halfway through the Big Ten schedule, and Healy couldn’t be happier with her team’s progress.
“It’s exciting,” Healy said. “We’ll come out and struggle a little bit, but then we just keep fighting and bouncing back. I think that tenacity is what this team is all about.”
