ATLANTA - The Wisconsin softball team went up against Georgia Tech Friday afternoon for the first time since the NCAA Regional matchup last season. Despite new players and a different setting, the result remained the same as the Badgers came out on top, 6-3.

Junior Gabi Salo earned her first start on the mound this season and just the third of her career. The pitcher kept things scoreless for the first three innings of the game, where she finished with one strikeout, one earned run, two walks, and scattered two hits. 

Christaana Angelopulos was also a big reason the Yellow Jackets were kept off the board early, as the catcher caught a runner stealing at both second and third base in just the first three innings. In the bottom of the second, Bannon also showed the strength of her arm. With a runner on third and two outs, a line drive sailed over Ellie Hubbard's head to the feet of Bannon. The left fielder then threw a dime home to grab the third out and deny the run for the opponents.

Contrarily, the Badgers put up a run early, thanks to a first-pitch homer in the third inning from Katie Keller. The grad transfer crushed one over the center field wall to give Wisconsin the early lead. This was Keller's first home run as a Badger and the team's first of the spring.

Georgia Tech responded immediately in the fourth inning, going one-for-one with Keller's blast. Sara Allen of the Yellow Jackets got a hold of one sending it past the warning track to tie things up, 1-1.

Paytn Monticelli came in for the Badgers following GT's home run and a walk given up by Salo. The star freshman finished with three K's, and an earned run in in 1.2 innings of work. With that, Maddie Schwartz came in for relief to finish the game.

With the help of two walks and a wild pitch to start the fifth inning, Wisconsin found itself in position to take back the lead as runners sat on second and third. Keller came up big again, hitting a sac-fly to left field, scoring pinch-runner Rylie Crane on third to go up 2-1. Kayla Konwent scored Ava Kuszak on the next at-bat as Konwent sent one up the middle for her first hit of the season, and the Badgers led 3-1. 

The Yellow Jackets did not go down without a fight, though, as the home team put up two runs in the bottom of the sixth to make things interesting. Monticelli gave up a home run to start the bottom of the inning, which led Head Coach Yvette Healy to bring in the experienced Maddie Schwartz. However, Schwartz allowed Georgia Tech to launch another long ball to level things, 3-3.

In a moment the freshman will never forget, Kuszak propelled a solo rocket over the fence to give the Badgers the lead back, 4-3, in the top of the seventh. As the momentum shifted back in Wisconsin's favor, Keller drew a walk that Konwent took advantage of the next at-bat when she hit a dinger to score them both.

Schwartz wrapped up the bottom half of the seventh, sitting down the Yellow Jackets in order and secured a 6-3 victory for the team's first win of the season.
"Batting Cleanup" 

• Kate Linkletter with first career hit, going 1-3

• Skylar Sirdashney added a double in the seventh, 1-4

• Peyton Bannon hit a single in top of fifth, 1-4

• Molly Schlosser had a single of her own, 1-4
   

Up Next: The Badgers will prepare for two games tomorrow, starting with Louisville at 9:00 a.m. CT and then a rematch with Georgia Tech with a start time set for 2:30 p.m. CT on the second day of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.