Softball Closes 2003 With Win
May 04, 2003 | Softball
The Wisconsin softball team kept playing and playing for its three seniors, refusing to end the season and refusing to lose, edging Minnesota, 3-2, in 12 dramatic innings Sunday. Anastasia Miller had the day's game winning hit, a blast to the right center field wall.
Senior Erin Barnharst led off the bottom of the 12th with a bloop single to shallow left center field. Meghann Reiss reached on a fielder's choice and Diana Consolmagno set down a bunt single to put two on with one out. Miller looked at the pay-off pitch and tallied her second hit of the day to score Reiss from second.
It was the Badgers' second longest game in school history and longest contest since playing 16 against Penn State on April 27, 1997.
The Badgers close their 2003 season with a 19-26 overall record and 7-13 mark in the Big Ten conference. Sunday marked the final game for seniors Barnharst, Andrea Kirchberg, and Mandy Liles.
Wisconsin got on the board early with a lead off home run by Kris Zacher. In the bottom of the first, Zacher sent her third home run of the season over the left center field wall for a 1-0 lead.
Kirchberg dominated the Gophers, limiting UM to just one hit through six and two-thirds innings. But Minnesota pulled even with two outs in the bottom of the seventh off Rachel Keeney's home run blast. The Gophers took their first lead of the game in the top of the 10th off Anne Thul's double to score Jordanne Nygren.
Meghann Reiss led off the top of the 10th with a single down the right field line. With two outs, Boo Gillette kept the Badgers alive with a blast to left field. Leftfielder Stefanie Watt made a good play on the ball, but was too close to the wall and both Watt and the ball careened off the wall. Reiss scored from first to make the game 2-2.
Kirchberg threw tallied 12 strikeouts in the game, pushing her four-year final total to 1,156.
