Badgers Stamp Out Flames, 11-0
April 26, 2006 | Softball
Sophomore Katie Hnatyk tallied two home runs and five RBIs to lead an offensive showcase for the University of Wisconsin softball team, which breezed past Illinois-Chicago 11-0 in five innings to sweep the season series Wednesday night at Goodman Softball Complex.
The Badgers (20-19) concluded their non-conference slate with a 16-11 record after generating 11 hits, including three doubles. Hnatyk matched a UW single-game record with the two homers, accomplished three times in school history (Hnatyk has done it twice), and she moved up to a tie for third place on Wisconsin's career home runs list with 18.
'Hnatyk is a great player who's only going to get better,' head coach Chandelle Schulte said. 'I'm sure Hnatyk will break that home run record within the next few years.'
Junior Eden Brock struck out two with no walks and only four hits to improve to 16-10. Her counterpart, Mercedes Lovato (1-2), lasted just one inning, giving up four runs (all earned), three hits and three walks without any strikeouts as the Flames (20-28) fell to UW for the third straight time (second consecutive shutout).
Hnatyk took her first pitch of the game and went yard with Sam Polito on second, giving the Badgers a 2-0 head start in the first inning. Freshman Valyncia Raphael tacked on an RBI single two batters later, and junior Athena Vasquez brought home redshirt freshman Alexis Garcia after being hit by a pitch.
Garcia's subsequent at-bat in the next inning was an RBI double, and senior Kaitlin Reiss drove in sophomore Joey Daniels to give Wisconsin the 6-0 lead.
In the third, Garcia drew a bases-loaded walk to score Vasquez, and the Badgers saw their advantage climb to 7-0. The eighth run came in the next inning via freshman Stephanie Doyle's first career RBI, a pinch-hit single to right field.
That margin quickly ballooned to 11-0 in the same inning following Hnatyk's three-run home run to left-centerfield. UIC tried to rally with a two-hit fifth inning, but a double play by Polito, who caught a fly ball and threw out the runner at second, ended the game.
'I knew we were due for an offensive outburst,' Schulte said. 'Hopefully we can carry it over to this weekend.'
The Badgers stay home to play host to Penn State Friday and Saturday and Ohio State on Sunday.
