UW Softball Ends Season With 2-0 Loss to UIC
May 16, 2002 | Softball
Wisconsin made an early exit from the NCAA Softball Championship today, falling to Illinois-Chicago, 2-0, in the second game of the Iowa City Regional. The Badgers end the season with a 31-22 overall record.
UW catcher Boo Gillette nearly tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, sending a blast to left field with one runner on, but the shot refused to go over the eight-foot Pearl Field wall, instead bouncing off the fence for a single. UIC forced outs on the next two Badgers, leave two runners stranded to end the game. The Flames (43-21) advance to face regional host Iowa tomorrow.
Junior Andrea Kirchberg, who started the game at first base but took the mound after starter Katie Layne gave up a home run to UIC's Jacque Vaca in the fourth inning, struck out six batters in 4.0 innings of work. With her six strikeouts, Kirchberg set the UW single-season record at 300, surpassing her own mark of 299 during the 2000 season.
After two scoreless innings, Illinois-Chicago got on the board in the top of the third. Edel Leyden doubled with one out, advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on a sacrifice fly by Sara Hernandez. The Flames added insurance in the fourth with Vaca's homer while UIC only allowed two UW base runners prior to the sixth inning.
Wisconsin put two on with no outs in the bottom of the sixth but a sac bunt followed by a pair of strikeouts by UIC's Alison Aguilar ended the inning. Sheena Padovan reached on an error in the bottom of the seventh before Gillette 's single off the wall accounted for the last of Wisconsin's three hits in the contest.
