Badgers drop series finale in West Lafayette

Sunday, April 5

West Lafayette, IN

12:00 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

21-12, 0

Purdue

26-12, 0

Wisconsin

Purdue

Photo by: Ashley Steltenpohl

Badgers drop series finale in West Lafayette

April 05, 2026 | Softball

Box Score

Showalter belts eighth home run

By: Maddox Durst

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Wisconsin softball team dropped the series finale against Purdue, falling 4-2 to wrap up the weekend.

The Boilermakers (26-12, 6-6 B1G) jumped out to a quick start once again, as they plated three runs in the first inning behind a two-run blast from Haley Painter.

Sophomore Kendra Lewis clutched up to get the Badgers (21-12, 7-5 B1G) on the board in the fifth, driving a base hit up the middle to score pinch runner Ava Parent and make it 3-1.

Purdue proceeded to answer with a run of its own in the bottom of the fifth after a lead-off double from standout Moriah Polar. Redshirt freshman Jaclyn Showalter hit a home run for the second consecutive day, barreling a pitch to deep left field to cut the deficit in half.

Right-hander Shelby Jacobson settled in to give the Badgers a chance late, but Boilermakers' pitcher Julia Gossett stepped up and slammed the door to give Purdue its first win of the weekend. Despite the loss, Jacobson finished with seven strikeouts and zero walks.

Batting Cleanup:

Wisconsin's nine-game winning streak at Bittinger Stadium came to a close on Sunday afternoon.
UW walked 16 times over the course of three games this weekend, their most in a conference series this year.
Jaclyn Showalter hit her second home run in as many days, providing a solo blast in the sixth. The redshirt freshman finished 5-for-11 (.455 BA) on the weekend, turning in three extra base hits and five RBI from the middle of the order.
Emily Bojan has now reached base in every game this season, extending her on-base streak to 33 games. That number ranks at No. 2 in program history for longest on-base streak, as Kelsey Jenkins (2018) leads the program with 40 straight games of reaching base. Bojan walked three times on Sunday, doing so in a game for the second time this season.
Shelby Jacobson tossed 14 innings against the Boilermakers this weekend, turning in 14 strikeouts while only allowing two walks.

Up Next: The Badgers will return to Goodman Diamond to begin a nine-game homestand, beginning with a midweek battle against Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday, April 8. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m. CT in Madison, and the game will be streamed on B1G+.