Raphael's home run takes down MSU
May 02, 2009 | Softball
The UW softball team earned a 2-1 win over Michigan State on Saturday as senior Valyncia Raphael hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning as the Badgers won their second-straight game.
Take a look back at the action with Rudy Nigl's postid=2110"> --> Gameday Blog .
The Badgers (15-35, 3-12 Big Ten) didn't waste much time getting on the board in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter, Jen Krueger reached on an error, followed by a Theresa Boruta single that moved her to second. Two batters later, Livi Abney flied out to center, and as Krueger was heading to third on the tag, the ball was dropped allowing her to score on the error for the early 1-0 lead.
After a scoreless second inning, the Spartans answered as Karen Fox led off the inning with a walk, and then Kelly Confer singled to left center to bring in the run tying the game, 1-1. The Badgers threatened a couple more times with runners in scoring position but were unable to bring any more runs in until the top of the seventh when senior Valyncia Raphael stepped to the plate.
Raphael hit the 1-0 pitch to right center and it just cleared the fence, traveling 210 feet. The solo shot put the Badgers up 2-1 as they headed to the bottom of the seventh. Fellow senior Leah Vanevenhoven pitched a gem allowing only one run on three hits earning her seventh win of the season striking out eight batters.
The Badgers and Spartans conclude the weekend series on Sunday with game time set for 12 p.m. CT. Follow along with Rudy Nigl's Gameday Blog and Live Stats.
