Softball Looks Back at 2008-Part Two
May 08, 2008 | Softball
The University of Wisconsin's softball team opened its Big Ten Conference portion of its schedule on the road against then-No. 16 Northwestern and Michigan State. The Badgers were just the third team to play at the newly-renovated Sharon Drysdale Memorial Field in Evanston, Ill.
In the first game against the Wildcats, UW had its first no-hitter of the season as NU won 10-0 in five innings. Freshman Livi Abney (Lawrence, Kan.) was the only Badger baserunner as she reached on an error by Northwestern's Darcy Sengewald. In the second game against NU, junior Alexis Garcia (North Hollywood, Calif.) went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
In the Michigan State doubleheader, Nikki Nicosia hit three home runs for MSU. Senior Lynn Anderson (Neenah, Wis.) scored UW's second run in the first game with her solo homer in the third.
The Badgers then returned home for a nine-game homestand. Notable games in this span of time were the Purdue game on April 4 and the Indiana doubleheader on April 6.
Against the Boilermakers, junior Valyncia Raphael (La Habra, Calif.) hit two doubles, setting a new career high. In Sunday's doubleheader against Indiana, not only did UW make its softball debut on the Big Ten Network, but freshman Kristyn Hansen (Franksville, Wis.) compiled a great outing in the second game of the twinbill. Hansen allowed only three hits as she went the distance for the first time in her career in the 3-0 shutout win.
In the midst of the homestand, UW hosted Northern Iowa in a non-conference game. Junior Leah Vanevenhoven (Kaukauna, Wis.) struck out a career-high 11 batters on the night.
UW split its doubleheader against Penn State on April 13. Three Badgers went 2-for-4 at the plate as Joey Daniels (Oakley, Calif.), Theresa Boruta (Chicago, Ill.) and Raphael all accomplished this feat.
Iowa was the final ranked opponent UW faced this season. The Hawkeyes climbed into the top 25 after splitting its series with then- No. 14 Northwestern.
The doubleheader against Illinois included three historic feats. In the first game, sophomore Letty Olivarez (Newark, Calif.) hit a leadoff home run in the top of the second inning, which tied the score at 1-1. This homer was significant because it was UW 's first leadoff home run since former Badger Kris Zacher slugged one against Minnesota on May 7, 2005 in Minneapolis, Minn.
In the second game of the twinbill, Olivarez and Valyncia Raphael (La Habra, Calif.) hit back-to-back home runs. This feat was last accomplished by UW when current players Joey Daniels (Oakley, Calif.) and Ricci Robben (Napa, Calif.) did this against Buffalo at the UTEP Invitational in El Paso, Texas on February 24, 2007.
Olivarez's second homer of the day was also significant because she became the first player in program history to hit lead off home runs in consecutive games and joins Zacher on the list of two lead off homers in a single season.
Wisconsin concluded its 2008 season with a six-game homestand. UW swept in state rival UW-Green Bay on April 23, before splitting its games against Ohio State on April 26. Unfortunately, the Badgers' loss in the first game mathematically eliminated them from the 2008 Big Ten Tournament. In the second game against the Buckeyes, a 4-3 win for UW, Daniels hit a program-high three doubles.
Against border rival Minnesota, Wisconsin played its longest game of the season, an 11 inning marathon that was won by the Gophers 4-0. Vanevenhoven allowed only two hits and struck out six in her 5.2 innings of work.
