Around the Horn: Badgers head south for Saluki Invitational

Venue	Charlotte West Stadium \| Carbondale, IL
Live Stats	Northern Illinois (G1) \| Southern Illinois (G1) \| Northern Illinois (G2) \| Southern Illinois (G2)
Game Notes	Wisconsin
Radio	The Varsity Network
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram

MADISON, Wis. – After a successful outing at the Chanticleer Showdown, the Wisconsin softball team (13-7) begins its final non-conference tournament this Saturday, the Saluki Invitational in Carbondale, Ill.

The tournament is hosted by Southern Illinois, who Wisconsin will take on twice during the weekend. The Badgers begin the four game tournament with a contest against Northern Illinois on Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT).

Here's what you need to know before the invitational.

1. CHANTICLEER SHOWDOWN RECAP – The Badgers enjoyed a successful campaign at the Chanticleer Showdown, finishing the tournament with a 4-1 record. The first day saw two wins, the first being a comeback win over UConn, 5-1, and Coastal Carolina, 6-4 in a nine-inning game. Saturday saw another win, beating Bowling Green, 6-5. The final day gave the Badgers their fourth and final win when they took down Bowling Green for the second time, this time via the run-rule, 10-2. Wisconsin's one loss came in the second game of Saturday's double-header, where they fell in a Coastal Carolina rematch, 3-2.

2. COMING UP CLUTCH – Over the weekend, Wisconsin had a knack for winning in dramatic fashion. Shutout through five innings in their first game against UConn, the Badgers got on track in a big way, scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn the comeback victory. The next game, against Coastal Carolina, was tied throughout. The 2-2 score remained after seven innings, sending the game into extras. With each team trading a run in the seventh, Wisconsin finally broke through in the eight - putting across three runs to ultimately win, 6-4. The Badgers final comeback win saw them down 4-0 to Bowling Green after two innings. Wisconsin slowly chipped away throughout, with the comeback being punctuated in the bottom of the sixth - scoring four runs, including a three-run shot from Emmy Wells. The Badgers would win, 6-5.

3. BIG TIME BATS – Well's home run was not her only one during the tournament. The Badgers hit five home runs over the weekend, with Hilary Blomberg and Wells each hitting two. Wisconsin averaged six runs per game in South Carolina, including a 10-2 five-inning victory against Bowling Green. That win saw the Badgers collect 14 hits, their most in a game since April of 2023. UW's offense has come alive recently, leading the Big Ten with 39 doubles, and ranking third with 37 stolen bases. Leading the charge is Alivia Bark, who's hitting .432 on the season. Bark went 11-for-18 in the Chanticleer classic, and has hits in 18-of-20 games this year.

4. THE JACOBSONS – The pitching side saw dominant performances from both of Wisconsin's Jacobson's - Molly and Shelby. Molly, the grad student, started the game against UConn, and kept them at bay until Wisconsin finally provided the late inning runs for the victory. She went the full 7.0 innings allowing just one earned run. Shelby's best outing came in relief, where she went 6.1 innings in Wisconsin's comeback against Bowling Green. The sophomore allowed one earned run, and struck out a career-high 11 batters - the most of any Badger pitcher since March of 2023. The Jacobsons combined for 20.0 innings pitched over the weekend, allowing five earned runs with 16 strikeouts, and just two walks.

5. SALUKI INVITATIONAL – After multiple trips to the East Coast, the Badgers will travel just south, to Carbondale, Illinois to play their final non-conference tournament of the season. Carbondale is home to the Southern Illinois Salukis, who are hosting the Saluki Invitational. The tournament runs for just two days, with games against both Northern and Southern Illinois. The Badgers will play Northern Illinois at 11 a.m. and then Southern Illinois at 1:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

Around the Horn: Badgers head south for Saluki Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Alivia Bark

Hilary Blomberg

Emmy Wells

University of Wisconsin Athletics