Wisconsin Badgers
University of Minnesota
Around the Horn: Wisconsin hosts Minnesota for midweek double header
April 24, 2023 | Softball
The Badgers will welcome the Gophers for two games
|  Venue |  Goodman Diamond | Madison, Wis. |
| Â Live Statistics | Â Game 1 | Game 2 |
| Â Watch (BTN+) | Â Game 1 | Game 2 |
| Â Game Notes | Â Wisconsin |
|  Social Media |  Twitter | Facebook | Instagram  |
MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Madison will host the University of Minnesota Tuesday, April 24 for a two-game double header with the first one scheduled for 2:00 p.m at Goodman Diamond
Â1. LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers were challenged against the University of Nebraska, winning just one of the three games played and dropping the series. In Friday's game, the two teams looked to be very evenly matched as seven innings wasn't enough to determine a winner. Katie Keller had two RBI singles in the initial seven innings, along with 2 RBI from Molly Schlosser. Kayla Konwent did the same with an RBI single of her own. The game was tied 5-5 heading into the eighth when Christaana Angelopulos drew a walk to bring a runner home before the Cornhuskers leveled it once again on a passed ball. Nebraska sealed the victory with an RBI single in the tenth to give the home team the first win of the weekend. Wisconsin played with a whole lot of heart in Saturday's game, securing a comeback victory in the seventh inning to win 4-3, after scoring three runs in the team's final offensive frame. In the game to decide the series, the Badgers could not find the spark they needed on offense and scored only on an RBI single from Schlosser to give Wisconsin it's only run in the third inning. Nebraska won the game and the series with a 2-1 victory.Â
2. KELLER CONTINUES TO CRUSH IT: Katie Keller has been unstoppable for the Badgers as she leads the team with a .429 batting average in the last twelve games. Her 18 hits in the last dozen games has put her ahead of Kayla Konwent for the most hits this season with a total of 42. In the Nebraska series, the fifth year went 6-for-13 with two doubles and four RBI. With those two doubles, Katie Keller now stands alone at second on the NCAA Division One All-Time Career Doubles list, with 83. Keller has upheld a slugging percentage of .833 in the twelve games the Badgers have most recently played and leads the team with 12 RBI in them.
3. SCHWARTZ IS SKILLED: Right handed pitcher Maddie Schwartz added two losses to her final season campaign, however, did not give up a single earned run against Nebraska. The Minnesota native threw 16.2 innings, giving up 16 hits, nine runs, while striking out nine batters. In the series' final game, Schwartz gave up only four hits in her complete game on the mound. Unfortunately, the eight errors on the weekend for the Badgers deemed to be costly. Schwartz is now (8-11) and has the second best ERA in the Big Ten at 1.47
4. SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The University of Minnesota has continued to rise in the Big Ten rankings as the rival team now sits at fourth with a 9-6 conference record. The Gophers are coming off a sweep against the University of Iowa where fifth year senior Autumn Pease threw two shutouts over the weekend. Due to her success, Pease was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. Taylor Krapf has the highest batting average on the team at .364 and 44 hits. The sophomore also leads the team with a .736 slugging percentage due to her twelve home runs.
The Badgers will also see a familiar face in the opponents dugout as Maddie's younger sister, Sydney Schwartz is on the roster for the Gophers. The freshman owns a 0-1 record with 31 IP and a 4.74 ERA in her freshman campaign.
5. UP NEXT:Â Following the home double header, Wisconsin will head to College Park to take on Maryland for the second to last Big Ten series of the season before returning home for one last home series against the University of Iowa.
