WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.– The Wisconsin softball team clinched its third series win of the season, topping Purdue 3-1 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Bittinger Stadium.

The Badgers (27-8 overall, 6-6 B1G) started with a bang after Kelsey Jenkins blasted a solo home run over the center field wall in the leadoff spot. The last time Wisconsin had a leadoff home run was when Stephanie Peace went yard in 2014 against Albany.

The Badgers carried the 1-0 lead over the Boilermakers (17-29, 6-8) through a quiet second inning but tore up the field with two runs off of two hits in the top of the third frame. 

With one out, Jenkins drew the walk to put one runner on for senior Chloe Miller. Miller knocked a rocket to right center, advancing Jenkins all the way to third. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native stole second to put two runners in scoring position for junior Brooke Wyderski, who took full advantage. Wyderksi ripped a two-RBI shot to left field, giving the Cardinal and White a 3-0 edge.

The squads had a defensive battle through the next three innings, both going scoreless. 

Purdue squeaked in a run in the bottom of the seventh inning but it wasn't enough as UW clinched the 3-1 final.

Freshman Kaitlyn Menz threw a complete game and picked up her 18th win of the season. She dealt out two strikeouts but only allowed six hits and one run.

Notes to Know:
- The Badgers clinched their third Big Ten series win of the year. UW also won series over Northwestern and Iowa.
-  The last time Wisconsin had a leadoff home run was when Stephanie Peace went yard in 2014 against Albany.
- Three was the lucky charm for the Badgers this weekend as they scored at least two runs in the third inning of every game.
- Sara Novak and Brooke Wyderski led UW with four hits each on the weekend, while Stephanie Lombardo and Kelsey Jenkins both accounted for three apiece.
-Wyderski led the Badgers in the game with two RBI and six putouts.
- Jenkins hit her sixth home run of the season in the leadoff spot, marking just the sixth time in history the Badgers have started a game with a moon shot. Jenkins' home run was her third in conference play and sixth on the season.
- Wisconsin took two games on the weekend, marking the first time Wisconsin has won the series against Purdue since sweeping the Boilermakers in 2014.
-Kaitlyn Menz improved to 18-5 in the circle this season, throwing two strikeouts and allowing just one earned run.

Details from the Dugout:
"We were just talking about fighting, finding a way to play better softball right now and going out there and showing a lot of heart. We saw that. At the end, you see Lombardo make a critical diving play to tag a runner out, there's things like that where our kids are playing hard. I think we still have room to grow, we haven't played our best softball yet and that's what we're most anxious about going into this next homestand. We're going to have to play some really good softball and we definitely haven't peaked with our abilities in the Big Ten yet. We've got room for improvement."

"[Brooke Wyderski and Sara Novak] both had big plays, you see both of them drive the ball. They're getting a lot of action and handling it so they're showing a lot of leadership on the left side and we love that."

"The fact that we've taken three of our first four series, that's a big deal. Any year if you win a Big Ten series, but winning three of your first four puts us in a great position. We know how tough the schedule is and we're just going to go back to work and see if we can keep improving."
-UW head coach Yvette Healy

Up Next:
The Badgers return home for a seven-game homestand. UW hosts No. 6 Minnesota for a doubleheader on April 19 starting at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.