LEESBURG, Fla. – The Wisconsin softball team opened its 2021 campaign with a pair of wins over Penn State on Friday at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex in Leesburg, Florida. UW won the first game, 4-0, and the second game, 4-2.
Game 1
After a pair of scoreless innings, the Badgers scored their first two runs of the season in the top of the third. With two outs,
Fiona Girardot hit a double to score
Morgan Kummer before
Abby Herbst launched a liner that scored Girardot from second to give UW a 2-0 lead.
Ally Miklesh had herself an inning to remember in the fourth, after singling to left field the Stevens Point native stole second, third and home to give UW a 3-0 advantage.
Miklesh scored again in the sixth, touching home plate after
Skylar Sirdashney singled to center to give UW the 4-0 win.
Maddie Schwartz allowed only one hit, tallied four strikeouts while earning her second career shutout.
Game 2
After going down 1-0 after the first, UW evened the game at 1-1 in the second. After a
Megan Donahue triple,
Lauren Foster launched a sacrifice flay to score Donahue to tie up the game.
UW tacked on three runs in the bottom of the third as UW loaded the bases with three walks.
Lauren Foster launched a rocket to center that the Penn State centerfielder misplayed, allowing all three runs to score.
Penn State added another run in the fourth, but UW held onto the win.
Haley Hestekin started for UW, pitching four winnings to get her first win of the year, while
Abby Herbst threw three scoreless innings to earn the save.
On Deck:
Wisconsin continues its time in Florida with a doubleheader against Indiana tomorrow. First pitch is at 3:15 p.m. and fans can watch the game live on Big Ten Network+.
