Hnatyk Homers In Fourth Consecutive Game
February 25, 2007 | Softball
Wisconsin outfielder Katie Hnatyk homered for the fourth consecutive game, but UTEP eliminated the Badgers from the UTEP Invitational with a 9-2 win Sunday at Helen of Troy Field.
Hnatyk hit a solo shot off Miner starter Nicole Tunget in the bottom of the sixth inning for career home run No. 24. Hnatyk was 2-for-3 in the contest, extending her hitting streak to five games.
For the tournament, Hnatyk went 11-for-14 (.785) with four home runs, 13 RBI and seven runs scored. She had a triple and two doubles for a slugging percentage of 2.000. Hnaytk is batting .500 (15-for-30) with five home runs and 15 RBI this season.
Wisconsin (6-4) beat UTEP, 3-0, to conclude round-robin play Saturday night, but the Miners pounded out 12 hits in the rematch. UTEP (10-5) advanced to face top-seeded Utah in the tournament's championship game.
The Badgers trailed 2-0 early, but cut the lead in half with an RBI single by Liz Klemp in the bottom of the second. Klemp, a senior, made her first career start Sunday and finished 1-for-3.
The Miners scored four in the top of the fourth inning to extend the lead to 6-1, and later got a two-run homer from Amber Bennett in the sixth to make it 9-1. Tunget (4-1), who earned the loss in Saturday's game against UW, pitched six innings and struck out four to pick up the win.
Ricci Robben was 1-for-2 with a run scored for the Badgers. She hit .538 (7-for-13) for the tournament with two home runs and six RBI. Samantha Polito scored seven runs in Texas, giving her 107 for her career. She trails Kris Zacher by six runs on the school's all-time scoring list.
