Stephanie VanBrakle helped No. 9 Alabama avoid an upset by Wisconsin with both her arm and her bat Sunday afternoon. The sophomore tossed a one-hitter and drove in the game-winning run in the top of the eighth inning as the Crimson Tide edged the Badgers 1-0 during the final day of softball action at the Frost Classic.
UW finishes the Classic 5-1 while falling to 11-5 overall on the season. The Crimson Tide improve to 14-3. The loss snapped the Badgers' school record-tying eight-game win streak.
Wisconsin let another outstanding performance from Eden Brock slip away. The freshman stretched her scoreless innings streak to 29.1 innings before VanBrakle broke it up with her game-winning hit.
Alabama had a pair of runners get on base in each of the first two innings but Brock was able to work out of trouble in both frames, including having Ashley Courtney getting nabbed at the plate on an attempted double steal in the first.
Kris Zacher finally collected UW's first hit of the game with one out in the bottom of the fourth when she singled to right. She moved up to second on a groundout by Boo Gillette, but was stranded when VanBrakle got Emily Friedman to ground out to second to end the frame.
Neither team was able to scratch out a run through the remainder of the seven regulation innings, sending the game into an international tiebreaker situation.
Alabama capitalized on its first opportunity with the tiebreaker in effect in the top of the eighth. With Ashley Courtney placed at second, she moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Angela Johnson. Brock then got Jackie McClain to ground out to first, but VanBrakle followed by lining a 3-2 pitch up the middle for an RBI single.
UW had pinchrunner Anastasia Miller at second in its half of the eighth, but was unable to advance her all as VanBrakle retired the side in order to get the win. Alabama outhit the Badgers 7-1 in the contest. Brock fell to 5-3 with loss, allowing the seven hits while striking out three and walking one.
Wisconsin will be off next weekend before returning to action March 12-14 when it competes in the National Invitational Softball Tournament in San Jose, Calif.
