MADISON, Wis. — Returning to Goodman Diamond for the first time since 2019, the Wisconsin softball team dropped their home opener to Illinois, 4-0, on Friday afternoon
A pitchers battle throughout most of the game, Wisconsin (4-13) junior Maddie Schwartz dominated in the circle through the first five innings, but the third time through the order for the Fighting Illini (12-5) was able to put up four runs in the sixth inning against the Badger defense, a lead Wisconsin would not come back from.
The Badgers saw multiple opportunities to get on the board, most involving Badger second baseman Peyton Bannon.
Bannon went 2-3 on the day, recording two of Wisconsin's five hits herself. The freshman hit leadoff for Yvette Healy's team and her day included a hit in the fourth inning with the Wisconsin bats pushing her all the way to third until caught stealing home to end the inning.
In an attempted rally back during the bottom of the sixth, fellow freshman Alyssa McClelland was able to reach base on an infield hit followed by a Bannon double.
Wisconsin threatened again in the seventh inning with two runners on and one out, but fell just short in their home opener.
Schwartz finished the game in the circle, giving up one earned run while recording four strikeouts and zero walks.
Up next: Wisconsin will face the Illini again tomorrow in a Saturday double-header with first pitch of game one scheduled for noon. To follow along, fans can tune in on Big Ten Network+ and by following @BadgerSoftball of Twitter for live updates and stats.
