Thursday, February 15
Clearwater, FLA
12 PM
Wisconsin Badgers
4-2
6
vs
7
University of Georgia
6-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
R
H
E
Wisconsin
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
6
8
4
Georgia
0
0
2
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
7
9
1
Photo by: Ashley Steltenpohl
Wisconsin falls in both games of double-header by one run
February 15, 2024 | Softball
Wisconsin loses to ranked Georgia and Kentucky
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Wisconsin softball team (4-3) dropped their first two games in the Clearwater Invitational, falling to No. 4 Georgia, 7-6 (10 innings), and No. 18 Kentucky 6-5. Wisconsin held leads over the Bulldogs and Wildcats, but ultimately came up just short in both games.
GAME ONE
Wisconsin got on the board early against undefeated Georgia. Brooke Kuffel doubled in the first run of the game, giving her a 9-for-12 start to the season, and collecting her ninth RBI on the team.
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After an Alivia Bark RBI single in the top of the second, Ellie Hubbard came up and crushed a first inning blast over the right field fence. Her second home run of the year gave the Badgers a 4-0 lead.
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Pitcher Tessa Magnanimo then ran into trouble during the bottom of the third when back-to-back doubles cut the deficit in half for the Bulldogs. Magnanimo would then give up a solo shot in the fourth that forced sophomore Shelby Jacobson to come in.
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Jacobson pitched two innings without giving up a runner, setting up Gabi Salo to close the game in the seventh. Georgia would go on to triple, and then bring home the runner with a Wisconsin error. The Badgers finished the game with four fielding errors.
Both teams traded blows in the eight and ninth innings, with the automatic runner on second base scoring in each frame. In the top of the tenth, Wisconsin found themselves with a runner on second and third with nobody out. But a strikeout, a base-running blunder, and another strikeout meant that the Badgers were the first team to come up with a zero in extra innings.
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After moving the runner over to third on a sacrifice bunt, Wisconsin would intentionally walk the next two batters for a force out at home. Wisconsin nearly escaped the threat, but Georgia earned the game winner with a single up the middle. Magnanimo (2-1), who came back into the game during the bottom of the seventh picked up the loss.
Batting Cleanup
Much like the last game, Wisconsin found themselves with an early lead. Catcher Emmy Wells demolished a pitch over the left field fence, scoring two runners that had both reached with a hit-by-pitch.
But Kentucky got all three runs back in the second inning, with an RBI ground out, as well as a home run of their own, that chased starter Gabi Salo out of the game.
Kentucky then took the lead in the third inning, after a throwdown to second base allowed a Wildcat runner to score from third. Wisconsin then tied the game back up in the fourth when the Kentucky pitcher couldn't throw out Peyton Bannon streaking home.
The Wildcats wreaked havoc on the base paths in the fifth, going up two runs off a sac bunt and a throwing error from Wisconsin.
The Badgers got one of those runs back in the sixth inning, when Hilary Blomberg hit an opposite field double to score Bannon. The rally would fall short, however, as Kentucky closed out the game in the seventh inning on a game-ending double play.
After coming into relief for Gabi Salo, Shelby Jacobson (0-2) earned the loss. Going 4.1 innings, with three runs allowed, and five hits.
Batting Cleanup
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GAME ONE
Wisconsin got on the board early against undefeated Georgia. Brooke Kuffel doubled in the first run of the game, giving her a 9-for-12 start to the season, and collecting her ninth RBI on the team.
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After an Alivia Bark RBI single in the top of the second, Ellie Hubbard came up and crushed a first inning blast over the right field fence. Her second home run of the year gave the Badgers a 4-0 lead.
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Pitcher Tessa Magnanimo then ran into trouble during the bottom of the third when back-to-back doubles cut the deficit in half for the Bulldogs. Magnanimo would then give up a solo shot in the fourth that forced sophomore Shelby Jacobson to come in.
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Jacobson pitched two innings without giving up a runner, setting up Gabi Salo to close the game in the seventh. Georgia would go on to triple, and then bring home the runner with a Wisconsin error. The Badgers finished the game with four fielding errors.
Both teams traded blows in the eight and ninth innings, with the automatic runner on second base scoring in each frame. In the top of the tenth, Wisconsin found themselves with a runner on second and third with nobody out. But a strikeout, a base-running blunder, and another strikeout meant that the Badgers were the first team to come up with a zero in extra innings.
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After moving the runner over to third on a sacrifice bunt, Wisconsin would intentionally walk the next two batters for a force out at home. Wisconsin nearly escaped the threat, but Georgia earned the game winner with a single up the middle. Magnanimo (2-1), who came back into the game during the bottom of the seventh picked up the loss.
Batting Cleanup
- Fiona Girardot, who missed all of 2023 with an injury, went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a 2B. It was her first multi-hit game since 5/22/22.
- Eden Echevarria collected her first career hit, knocking one up the middle in the top of the third. The freshman also scored the first run of the game as a pinch-runner.
- Ellie Hubbard hit her second home run of the season, and the fifth of her career. All four of her hits this season have gone for extra bases.
- This was the first game against Georgia in program history.
Much like the last game, Wisconsin found themselves with an early lead. Catcher Emmy Wells demolished a pitch over the left field fence, scoring two runners that had both reached with a hit-by-pitch.
But Kentucky got all three runs back in the second inning, with an RBI ground out, as well as a home run of their own, that chased starter Gabi Salo out of the game.
Kentucky then took the lead in the third inning, after a throwdown to second base allowed a Wildcat runner to score from third. Wisconsin then tied the game back up in the fourth when the Kentucky pitcher couldn't throw out Peyton Bannon streaking home.
The Wildcats wreaked havoc on the base paths in the fifth, going up two runs off a sac bunt and a throwing error from Wisconsin.
The Badgers got one of those runs back in the sixth inning, when Hilary Blomberg hit an opposite field double to score Bannon. The rally would fall short, however, as Kentucky closed out the game in the seventh inning on a game-ending double play.
After coming into relief for Gabi Salo, Shelby Jacobson (0-2) earned the loss. Going 4.1 innings, with three runs allowed, and five hits.
Batting Cleanup
- Emmy Wells hit her third homerun with Wisconsin, giving her the second most on the team. Wells missed all last season for her previous school, Northern Iowa.
- In addition to going 1-for-2 with a BB and two runs scored, Peyton Bannon tallied two stolen bases. Bannon led the team in stolen bases last season with ten.
- Wisconsin has now homered in their last six games.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jaden Vickers (2-0)
L: Jacobson, Shelby (0-2)
S: Sydney Langdon (1)
Batting:
2B: Blomberg, Hilary 1
HR: Wells, Emmy 1
RBI: Wells, Emmy 3 ; Blomberg, Hilary 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bark, Alivia 1 ; Hubbard, Ellie 1 ; Wells, Emmy 1 ; Bannon, Peyton 2
SB: Bannon, Peyton 2 ; Kuszak, Ava 1
CS: Lucey, Danielle 1
HBP: Bark, Alivia 1 ; Girardot, Fiona 1 ; Hubbard, Ellie 1
Batting:
2B: Grace Lorsung 1
3B: Ally Hutchins 1
HR: Karissa Hamilton 1
RBI: Ally Hutchins 1 ; Taylor Ebbs 2 ; Karissa Hamilton 2
SH: Rylea Smith 1 ; Ally Hutchins 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vanessa Nesby 2 ; Erin Coffel 1 ; Ally Hutchins 1 ; Grace Lorsung 1 ; Karissa Hamilton 1
SB: Vanessa Nesby 1
CS: Erin Coffel 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF/UTL
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
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