ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A defensive clinic from the Wisconsin softball team led the Badgers to shut out the Iowa Hawkeyes, 3-0, in their opening game of the Big Ten Tournament.

UW (33-14 overall) defeated Iowa (19-32) for the third time this season behind a standout performance by freshman Kaitlyn Menz and the Badger defense.

Both teams led off their respective first frames with a hit as Iowa shot a single through the right side and Brooke Wyderski put a double to right center.

The Badgers got into a dangerous situation in the top of the second with runners on the corners, but Menz pulled her crew out by striking out Mallory Kilian swinging.

UW retired the Hawkeyes in order in the top of the third inning on three-straight groundouts.

In a rare occurrence, being caught in a pickle turned out to be a great thing for the Badgers in the bottom of the third. Wyderski got on base after firing in her second double of the game and moved to third on a groundout by Kelsey Jenkins. Senior Chloe Miller drew a walk and then was caught in a pickle between first and second, giving Wyderski enough time to cross home plate before Miller was caught stealing.

Despite giving up two walks in the top of the fourth, Menz pulled her squad out of the inning with two crucial strikeouts.

After Iowa's first hit, Menz didn't allow a single hit by the Hawkeyes to leave the infield for the remainder of the game.

An RBI single through the right side from sophomore Stephanie Lombardo brought in freshman Heather Rudnicki for the Badgers' second run of the game, giving Wisconsin the 2-0 advantage after four innings.

After Miller led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, senior Sara Novak continued her fiery five-game hitting streak with a single up the middle. Novak advanced on the throw and moved Miller to third, putting two runners into scoring position for the Badgers. Wisconsin capped off the 3-0 blanking when a bunt from freshman Jordan Little moved Miller across the dish.

Menz threw six strikeouts and allowed just three hits in the shutout.

Notes to Know:
-Wisconsin improves to 7-9 all-time in Big Ten Tournament play, opening the tournament with a win for the fifth time.
-Wisconsin moves on to face No. 3 Ohio State in the second round of the tournament. The Badgers are 26-17-1 all-time against the Buckeyes.
-The last time Wisconsin faced the Buckeyes in postseason play, the Badgers upset OSU, 6-1, during the 2005 Big Ten Tournament.
-Kaitlyn Menz threw all seven innings, dealing six strikeouts and allowing just three hits in the shutout. The rookie is now 23-9 this season.
-Menz threw her sixth shutout of the season, tied for the second-most by a UW freshman.
-Brooke Wyderski and Sara Novak shared team-high honors with two hits each.
-Wyderski extended her hitting streak to nine games with a pair of doubles against the Hawkeyes.
-Novak continued her own hot streak, picking up her fourth multi-hit game in the last five contests.
 
Details from the Dugout:
"It was awesome to come out and show the other teams what we're all about at Wisconsin."

"It's awesome to know that if they do put the ball into play, my defense is behind me to back me up and get those crucial outs."

"I think that facing Iowa again just helps me get better and better, knowing that I need to improve my pitching against them because they've seen me so many times."

"I think it's awesome getting this win, it gives us confidence going into the rest of this weekend. We'll just keep going."
-Freshman Kaitlyn Menz
 
"It's fun to win games and to play in the postseason is a big deal. Really proud of this group, to have a freshman on the mound doing it, it's exciting. Kaitlyn Menz looked great. She showed so much composure for being a freshman so to come out and put a zero up in the Big Ten Tournament, we've done it before in some games, but it's pretty fun to be back and get the win."

"We were trying to make it a little tougher on them (by changing the batting order), I think they do a really nice job, their catcher calls the game, and you'll prep for a certain lineup and game plan and we wanted to give her one more factor to figure in there too. Brooke did great, looked great at the plate and did a nice job in the leadoff."

"We said going into the tournament that we're a scrappy team. I think you've got to embrace that side and we've got the ability. I think last time we played Iowa they did a really good job of pressuring us and we said, 'we are a pressuring team, we've got the ability to play a better game.' I really thought that even compared to the series when we played them, this was the best game that we have played against them so I'm really proud of this group."

"Sara Novak and Brooke Wyderski were great on the hot side, they did a nice job. They were moving their feet, making big plays and showing off their arms. Steph Lombardo had a couple tough plays and was able to get lead runners. Happy to see them playing good defense."
-UW Head Coach Yvette Healy

Up Next:
The Badgers will face Ohio State in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. CT at Alumni Field on Friday.