MADISON, Wis.-- Despite a sixth-inning double from Macy Oswald to knot the game, the Wisconsin softball team couldn't muster enough power to topple Illinois, falling 4-3 in the series opener on Friday.

Wisconsin (23-17-1 overall, 8-6-1 Big Ten) traded leads with the Illini (27-18, 6-9 Big Ten) through the game before getting edged out of the win in the final inning.

"Overall Illinois is very good," UW head coach Yvette Healy said. "That's why they're a top-50 team and they've got their 26 wins already, and we gave them the 27th. But they're a team that you really just have to be a little sharper with.

"Overall there was a ton of heart and battle so what I love is even if we made a couple of mistakes that we could get better, then our team bounces right back. Mel Cross gets the pick off, Macy makes the tag, that's phenomenal. Macy gets the big hit then to get the RBI to tie it back up. We're not a team that usually dwells on what we could have done better, it's just about carrying on and I love the fight."

Illinois got on the scoreboard early in the first inning, when Annie Flemming singled to bring home leadoff hitter Allie Bauch.

Wisconsin responded with a run of its own to tie the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the first. Illini catcher Emily Broder overthrew third base in an attempt to catch Kelsey Jenkins stealing, allowing Jenkins to come home for the tying run. The Badgers held the Illini scoreless in back-to-back innings and then took a one-run lead in the bottom of the third inning. Ashley Van Zeeland led off the inning for UW, advancing to third base on two walks and a stolen base. Melanie Cross grounded out to second base, advancing Van Zeeland for the 2-1 lead.

Illinois would respond in the top of the fourth inning, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, then scored on an error in the fifth inning to reclaim the lead, 3-2.

In the sixth inning, Kelly Welsh and Katie Christner hit back-to-back singles to lead off the inning but Welsh was caught in a pickle at third base. Oswald crushed a double to left field, scoring Christner to for the late-game tie.

The Illini grabbed the winning run in the top of the seventh, scoring on a right-side single.

Taylor-Paige Stewart pitched all seven innings, giving up nine hits and three earned runs.

"I think Taylor-Paige (Stewart) really battled on the mound," Healy said. "I think it's going to make the team more focused to go after tomorrow's game too."

Sara Novak led Wisconsin with five putouts, followed by Cross with four. Welsh led the Badgers with two hits.

Five Badgers recorded one walk on the game, including Jenkins, who is two walks shy of the single-season walks record she set during the 2014-15 season.

"It's one game at a time so I think it's all about tomorrow," Healy said. "We've got to get that game tomorrow. Our hitters are going to have to make an adjustment and be ready to hit their pitching right away and I think if we can make small adjustments, we can have a really good payoff."

The Badgers return to Goodman Diamond on Saturday, facing Illinois for game two of the series. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.