UW Closes Out Season At Home Versus Minnesota
May 07, 2004 | Softball
With the chances of a postseason berth already dashed, the Wisconsin softball team takes to Goodman Diamond for the final time this season when it hosts Minnesota this Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday night's contest, which begins at 6 p.m., will be Parents Night. Diana Consolmagno, the Badgers' lone senior, will be honored in Senior Day ceremonies prior to Sunday's noon start.
UW (28-27 overall) enters the final weekend of the regular season with a 5-13 mark in the Big Ten. Currently in tenth place in the Big Ten, the Badgers could potentially move up into a tie for eighth place. However, Wisconsin will be unable to earn a berth in the eight-team Big Ten tournament next week since Michigan State and Penn State each own tiebreaker advantages over the Badgers.
Meanwhile, Minnesota (32-21, 9-9 Big Ten) has already assured itself of a berth in the conference tournament, and will be playing to help state its case for an NCAA regional bid. The Golden Gophers have been led by senior standout pitcher Piper Marten. Marten has complied a 20-11 record with a miniscule 0.89 ERA. She has also tallied 234 strikeouts in 196 innings pitched this season.
Freshman catcher Megan Higginbotham has been a pleasant surprise for the Gophers. She leads the team in most offensive categories, including a .370 batting average, nine doubles, five triples, four home runs and 36 RBI.
The Badgers are coming off a dramatic 5-4 win at Illinois-Chicago Thursday night, snapping a four-game losing streak in the process. UW rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning to earn the victory. The Badgers tied a season high with 14 hits in the contest, including three apiece by Sam Polito, Kris Zacher and Emily Friedman.
Zacher broke the school single-season for total bases in the win over the Flames. Her current total of 90 has topped Julie Borchard's previous mark of 88 set in 1999. Zacher's 62 hits this season are also a new UW record.
Live stats and a live audio webcast of both of this weekend's contests can be accessed by clicking on the "Softball Game Day" link on the right side of the page.
