April 7, 2011
• Box Score | Box Score
Wisconsin 7, North Dakota 0
Goodman Diamond • Madison, Wis.
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | | UND | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | | Wisconsin | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 0 | | | | | | Pitchers
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | | W | McIntosh (7-8) | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | | L | Gronseth (2-10) | 4.0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | | |
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MADISON, Wis. -- Led by a career day from Meghan McIntosh, the Wisconsin softball team (19-14) captured a doubleheader sweep against North Dakota (10-24) Thursday at Goodman Diamond. McIntosh struck out a career-high 13 batters, as Wisconsin shut out the Fighting Sioux, 7-0, in game two.
| Fast Facts | | • McIntosh throws career-high 13 Ks | | • Peace hits 3-run HR, part of 4 RBI day | | • Krueger one away from setting UW record in SB | |
In throwing the first shutout of her career, McIntosh yielded just six hits and walked none in her sixth complete game of the year. The Sierra Vista, Ariz., native recorded a strikeout in every inning, struck out the side in the second and fanned two batters each in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
McIntosh's 13 strikeouts is the most for a Badger pitcher since Letty Olivarez tied a school record with 17 against Minnesota on May 12, 2010.
Coupled with the Badgers' 5-0 win in game one, Wisconsin recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since April 26 and April 28 of 2006. Wisconsin first beat Illinois Chicago, 11-0, in five innings and then shutout Penn State 3-0 in those contests.
Wisconsin's pitching was too much for North Dakota in the
doubleheader as McIntosh and Cassandra Darrah combined to throw 21 strikeouts while issuing zero walks and giving up just eight hits in 14 innings of work.
After the first inning of game two went scoreless, the Badgers put a run on the scoreboard in the second. For the second-straight game, Whitney Massey plated the first run of the game in the second inning.
Kendall Grimm smashed a one-out triple, her second of the season, to left field. Massey then stepped up to the plate and hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home Grimm.
The Badgers struck again in the third as Jennifer Krueger led off with a single to pitcher Emma Gronseth and then stole second. Peace then drove in her first run of the game with a single to right field. Krueger was able to score before Peace was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double, giving UW the 2-0 lead.
Peace was at it again in the fourth inning, hitting a three-run home run. The blast gave the freshman a new career-high in RBI with four, breaking her previous mark of three against Harvard on March 15.
Pinch hitting for Maggie Strange, Ashley Hanewich hit a one-out single to shallow left field. After Jordan Skinner grounded out to shortstop for the second out of the inning, it was back to the top of the order as Krueger managed to single up the middle and advance Hanewich to third. With Peace batting, Krueger recorded her 29th stolen base of the season, tying the single-season school record she set last season.
With Hanewich and Krueger in scoring position for Peace, the freshman smashed her third home run of the season over the left field wall.
Wisconsin added two more runs in the fifth inning as Hanewich hit an RBI single and Kelsey Horton drove in the first run of her career with an RBI single of her own.
Wisconsin returns to Goodman Diamond this Saturday for its Big Ten home opener against Northwestern. Both Saturday's and Sunday's games are set for 12 p.m. (CT).
