Jacobson stifles Boilermakers in series opener

Friday, April 3

West Lafayette, IN

1:00 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

20-11, 0

Purdue

25-11, 0

Wisconsin

Purdue

Photo by: Ashley Steltenpohl

Jacobson stifles Boilermakers in series opener

April 03, 2026 | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Senior secures UW’s fifth consecutive Big Ten win

By: Maddox Durst

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Wisconsin softball team earned its fifth consecutive victory behind a complete game shutout from senior Shelby Jacobson, winning 3-0 at Bittinger Stadium over Purdue in the series opener.

Jacobson put together one of the best starts of her season Friday afternoon, racking up seven strikeouts while holding a potent Boilermakers' (25-11, 5-5 B1G) offense to just three hits. The right-hander notched her ninth win of the season in the process and her first complete game shutout since she did so against Long Beach State on Feb. 24, 2024.

The Badgers' (20-11, 6-4 B1G) offense got rolling in the second inning, as the first two batters reached base to set up the top of the order. After a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Hannah Conger to put two runners in scoring position, senior Emily Bojan barreled a single to the outfield to drive in UW's first run of the game.

Sophomore Kendra Lewis followed it up with a two-RBI single to make it 3-0, marking her first multi-RBI game since March 1.

From there, both lineups went quiet, as each pitcher escaped a jam within the latter half of the game. Jacobson came on in the final inning and sent Purdue down in order, tallying a strikeout to seal the game one victory.

Batting Cleanup:

Wisconsin won its fifth consecutive Big Ten game, marking the longest winning streak in conference play since the 2022 season, the last time the Badgers earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
UW earned its seventh shutout of the season on Friday afternoon. The Badgers finished with four all of last season.
The Badgers have now won eight consecutive games against the Boilermakers at Bittinger Stadium, dating back to 2017.
Shelby Jacobson recorded her first complete game shutout since 2024, doing so for just the second time in her career. The senior racked up seven strikeouts and worked around a pair of walks and three hits in the Badgers' victory.
Emily Bojan extended her on-base streak to 31 games, tying Kelsey Jenkins (2018) for the second-longest streak in program history. Jenkins holds the all-time record from her 2017 season, where she reached base in 40 consecutive games. Bojan finished 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Kendra Lewis put together a 1-for-2 showing with two RBI and a pair of walks.
Jackie Showalter racked up a pair of hits against Purdue, as she has tallied at least one hit in six of UW's first 10 conference games.

Up Next: The Badgers and the Boilermakers will take on game two of their series tomorrow afternoon, as first pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on B1G+.