BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Wisconsin softball team (3-1) swept its Paradise Classic double-header this Saturday - taking down Georgia State, 4-2, and Missouri State, 3-1.
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GAME ONE
Wisconsin earned a quality start out of its freshman pitcher,
Kendra Lewis, against Georgia State, as the Milan, Illinois native went on to throw 6.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, striking out six.
The Badgers got on the board with the help of a leadoff double turned in by
Emmy Wells, as she was driven in by a fielder's choice from Dani Lucey to give UW an early 1-0 advantage in the second inning.Â
Wisconsin went on to tally a run in both the third and the fourth frame to extend their lead—utilizing a couple of Panthers' defensive miscues and small ball to move runners around.
Hannah Conger crossed home plate via a wild pitch to double the Badgers' run total in the third
Then,
Molly Schlosser wrapped up the scoring efforts by laying down a bunt—driving in a run with the help of a throwing error from the Panthers to notch the second run of the game.
After Lewis ran into some trouble in the final inning,
Molly Jacobson came on to close the game, as the veteran right-hander held Georgia State down and secured the final three outs, earning her second career save in as many days.Â
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Batting Cleanup
- Sophomore Alivia Bark stuffed the stat sheet, going  2-for-2 with a double, two walks, and three stolen bases. Peyton Bannon was the last Badger to steal three bases in a game, doing so against Utah Tech on 3/1/24.
- Senior Emmy Wells went 1-for-3 with a double and threw out a runner stealing second.
- Kendra Lewis not only collected six strikeouts in six innings of work as a pitcher, but also went 1-for-3 at the plate with a run scored. Lewis earned her first career victory, now 1-0 on the season.
- Molly Jacobson earned her second straight save, collecting two strikeouts in the final inning.Â
GAME TWO
Game two saw the Badgers take on Missouri State, triumphing 3-1.
Wisconsin needed just a few clutch plays and excellent pitching performances to take the victory.
After a slow offensive start for both teams,
Danielle Lucey, the Badger's nine-hitter, broke the scoreless tie with a solo home run in the third inning.
Starter
Molly Jacobson held Missouri State through 4.0 innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing an RBI-triple that knotted things up at one apiece.
With
Gabi Salo coming in for relief, and runners on first and third, Missouri State hit a ball into the right-center gap - looking likely to score the runner from third. Lucey, however, playing center field ran down the ball and dove to maintain the tie and navigate the team out of the jam.
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Senior
Brooke Kuffel delivered her own clutch moment in the top of the sixth, breaking open the game with a two-RBI single that gave the Badgers the lead.
Salo then closed the game out in the seventh, striking out the final batter of the game. Salo picked up the win, moving to 2-0 on the season. She finished the game with 2.2 innings pitched, no hits allowed, and four strikeouts.
Batting Cleanup
- Danielle Lucey's home run was the first of the sophomore's career.
- Alivia Bark continued her hot start to the season, going 1-for-2 with a walk. Bark is 7-for-11 to start the season with three walks and three stolen bases.
- Molly Jacobson started the game, going 4.1 innings with one earned run allowed on five hits. She struck out two batters.
- In both games of the double-header, Badger pitchers combined for 14.0 innings, three earned runs allowed, one walk, and 14 strikeouts.
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Up Next
The Badgers finish their turn at the Paradise classic with a rematch against Georgia State. First pitch is slated for 8 a.m. (CT). Â 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.
