Eden Dempsey hits a grand slam to comeback against Kansas
Ashley Steltenpohl
7
Winner Ole Miss OM 2-1
1
Wisconsin WIS 0-1
Winner
Ole Miss OM
2-1
7
Final
1
Wisconsin WIS
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Ole Miss OM 0 0 2 2 2 0 1 7 10 3
Wisconsin WIS 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 0

W: Miali Guachino (2-1) L: Jacobson, Molly (0-1)

6
Winner Wisconsin WIS 1-1
3
Kansas KANSAS 0-3
Winner
Wisconsin WIS
1-1
6
Final
3
Kansas KANSAS
0-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Wisconsin WIS 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 6 10 4
Kansas KANSAS 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 9 1

W: Salo , Gabi (0-0) L: K. Washingto (0-0) S: Jacobson, Molly (255)

Game Recap: Softball | | Jake Ross

Dempsey's go-ahead grand slam leads to opening day split

Badgers fall to Ole Miss, but comeback to beat Kansas

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Wisconsin softball team opened their season with a double-hitter split this Friday, falling to Ole Miss in the first game, 7-1, but pulling off a late-game comeback against Kansas, 6-3, to earn the first victory of the season. It was an Eden Dempsey pinch-hit, go-ahead grand slam that lifted the Badgers over the Jayhawks, allowing the team to start the season 1-1.
 

GAME ONE

Wisconsin (0-1) faced Ole Miss in its season opener, dropping the game, 7-1.

Senior transfer Molly Jacobson started the game for the Badgers, punching out two Rebels in her first inning of work.

A couple of bases loaded jams put the Badgers in an early deficit. Back-to-back sac flies in the third inning gave Ole Miss the first lead of the game. The next inning saw two Ole Miss players score off a wild pitch and a fielder's choice.

Freshman Gabby Fakes allowed two more runners to cross the plate in the fifth, extending the Ole Miss lead, 6-1. A double-steal in the seventh gave the Rebels their seventh run of the game.

Jacobson took the loss in the game, allowing four earned runs in four innings of work. She struck out three batters in that time. Fakes allowed two runs without recording an out. Junior Shelby Jacobson pitched 2.1 innings allowing no runs on two hits. Freshman Mattie Beliveau recorded the final two outs in the game, allowing one run.
 
Offensively, Wisconsin created plenty of traffic on the basepaths through infield hits and smart base running. Back-to-back bunts in the bottom of third led to a double-steal, allowing Syracuse transfer Mackenzie Foster to steal home for the only Wisconsin run of the game.

Despite collecting seven hits in the game, and stealing three bases, the Badgers failed to bring in runners - going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 runners on base.

Wisconsin struck out 15 times, with Ole Miss starter Miali Guachino collecting 11 punchouts in five innings.
 

Batting Cleanup
  • Sophomore Alivia Bark went 2-for-3 in the game.
  • Senior Molly Schlosser went 2-for-3 with a stolen base - her first multi-hit game since 5/6/23 against Iowa.
  • Freshman Emma King collected both her first career hit and stole base, going 1-for-1 with a single.
  • Freshman Kendra Lewis, went 1-for-2, earning her first career hit as well.


GAME TWO


The Badgers (1-1) put on their rally hats for game two, with a late-inning Eden Dempsey grand slam allowing Wisconsin to erase a three-run deficit.

Down 3-1 in the top of the sixth, UW loaded the bases with two singles and a hit-by-pitch. Eden Dempsey then entered the game as a pinch-hitter, and launched a no-doubter over the left field fence to give Wisconsin a 5-3 lead.
 

It was the first extra-base-hit of the day for the Badgers, who ended up with nine base-knocks in the game. Before Dempsey's homer, the Badgers had left seven runners on base in the game.

Facing a Kansas-answer in the bottom of the inning, Molly Jacobson came in relief of Gabi Salo, and forced a groundout to strand two Jayhawk runners at second and third.

Freshman Hannah Conger's RBI single in the next inning provided the Badgers with some insurance, as Jacobson struck out the final batter to close out the game in the seventh inning. Wisconsin claimed the victory, 6-3.

Salo earned the win for the day, taking over pitching duties from starter Kendra Lewis during the fourth inning. Salo pitched 2.1 innings, allowing no runs, three hits, and striking out four batters.

Kansas scored its first three runs in the third and fourth innings off Lewis, who made her first career start in the game. Lewis limited free passes and base hits, but gave up four doubles in 3.0 innings. 

The Badgers are now 1-1 on the season.

Batting Cleanup
  • Eden Dempsey hit her second career home run, and her first grand slam. Her first career home run came last season against Utah on March 3. Both home runs came while pinch hitting.
  • The last time a Badger player hit a grand slam was Skylar Sirdashney against Penn State on April 20, 2024.
  • Junior Emily Bojan went 2-for-4 in the game, driving in the first run of the day for the Badgers in the fourth inning. She previously went 2-for-2 with an RBI during last season's opening day as well.
  • Alivia Bark went 2-for-4 with a run scored. In both games of the double-header, Bark finished 4-for-7 at the plate.
  • Sophomore Hilary Blomberg went 2-for-3 in the game.
  • Freshman Hannah Conger's RBI single in the sixth inning was her first career hit and RBI. She added her first stolen base later in the inning.
  • Graduate Molly Jacobson picked up the first save in her career. The new Badger pitched 1.2 innings allowing just one hit and striking out the final batter of the game.
 

Up Next

The Badgers play another double-header tomorrow, facing Georgia State at 12:30 p.m. (CT) and Missouri State at 2:45 p.m. (CT). Live stats for every game are available on the Badger softball schedule on uwbadgers.com, and live updates will be given on the @badgersoftball Facebook, X, and Instagram pages.
 
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