BY KELLI GRASHEL
UW Athletic Communications

MADISON, Wis. — "They can't take Friday night away from you." That was head coach Yvette Healy's message to the team on Sunday after a tough loss to No. 17-ranked Michigan on Senior Day.

No one can take away the entire weekend from the Badgers; a special series that set new records for the program. It wasn't just Friday's thrilling 1-0 upset over the Wolverines. That historic upset combined with a record-breaking crowd on Sunday brought the team a new light.

The historic weekend all started with the first-ever win at home over Michigan at Goodman Diamond on Friday night. It was a night of firsts, as freshman Kaitlyn Menz also earned her first shutout over a ranked opponent. It was the fifth time this season that the Wolverines have been shut out, but only the first time leaving the diamond scoreless at the hands of an unranked opponent.

"That's at the top of your resume when you talk about wanting to be a postseason team to say that you have a win against Michigan," Healy said. "And to be the first team to ever do it here, we've got a lot of pride to do that and have a freshman on the mound for us against their senior All-American. We've got a lot of pride for what we've done."

Enough can't be said for the impact that the young players have had on this team and fans saw that impact in all its glory on Friday night. Menz pitched a career-high 11 innings and held the Badger defense steady by allowing just six hits and no runs from one of the best teams in the country. She also struck out two All-Americans and three All-Region honorees to boot.

And then there's Stephanie Lombardo. A sophomore Wisconsin native who suffered an injury two games into her freshman season, halting her rookie campaign. She has battled back in a fairytale way, becoming the hero of the biggest victory of the season. Not only did she knock out the walk-off homer on Friday night, but it was against one of the best teams in the country and one of the best pitchers in the country, Megan Betsa. It's hard to get a hit off of the two-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, let alone a home run.

"How cool to have a kid that was a camper years ago in the stands follow through and become a scholarship recruit for us and get a walk-off win, that's every kid's dream," Healy added.

It was an all-around team effort to make it a big weekend from Kelly Welsh, who robbed UM of a home run with a diving grab over the wall. She was joined by Sara Novak fielding some hot shots to third. The Badgers didn't win the series, but they left the weekend with other victories and that was evident on Sunday when a record-breaking crowd of 2,297 fans piled into Goodman to cheer on the squad in the series finale. It was the third-highest single game attendance by any Big Ten school and a big compliment to the senior class, who had their career accomplishments celebrated before the game.

There was a roller coaster of emotions as the senior class took the microphone to address the crowd after the game. There were notes of gratitude, there were tears and there were roars from the crowd applauding the decorated class, who has compiled 113 career wins up to this point.

"These last few years have been a big growing experience and it's really kind of made me the person I am today," said senior Chloe Miller. "It's a character-building time in your life and to do this in Madison, one of the best cities in the nation, and to be surrounded by the best people has been a treat."

"To sum up the past four years, it's been growing into our roles and our roles as leaders. We've been at the highest points and lowest points of this program. So to be here and be with the team and create that foundation, it's just been special."

All-in-all, the weekend had everything you could ever want in sports: The underdog came out on top, the freshman proved she could measure up to the best, the seniors got the send-off they deserved, and once again, Badger fans proved why they are the best in the country.