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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa softball team scored a combined seven runs on 16 hits to sweep a doubleheader against Wisconsin at Pearl Field on Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes won the first game, 3-0, and fought back in game two for the 4-3, walk-off win.
GAME ONE
Sophomore pitcher Allison Doocy (10-7) pitched seven shutout innings to pick up her 10th victory of the season. The Ankeny, Iowa, native allowed just one hit and struck out 12 batters.
The Hawkeyes gave Doocy a 1-0 lead in the second inning when senior Angela Schmiederer singled up the middle to score Aralee Bogar. The freshman got herself into scoring position after reaching on a fielder’s choice and stealing second.
Bogar scored again in the fourth inning on a hit by senior Cheyenne Pratt, giving Iowa the 2-0 lead.
Iowa’s final run of the game came in the sixth inning when sophomore Taylor Libby sent a RBI double to center that scored senior Allie Wood. Wood hit a single down the left field line in the previous at bat.
Wisconsin ace Kaitlyn Menz (8-9) suffered the loss, giving up three runs on eight hits in six innings of work. She registered four strikeouts in the game and issued four walks.
GAME TWO
Wisconsin led 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but Iowa rallied, stringing together four runs on five hits and a sacrifice fly to secure the walk-off win.
Wisconsin grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first inning against freshman Lauren Shaw. The Badgers lead off hitter singled to left and eventually scored on a fielder’s choice.
Wisconsin earned a pair of runs in the sixth off a homerun and a RBI fielder’s choice.
Sophomore McKenzie Schneider’s solo homerun in the top of the seventh ended the shutout, but the Hawkeyes didn’t stop there. Bogar singled to left and scored on a double by Schmiederer, putting the Hawkeyes down by one with no outs.
Iowa followed with back-to-back singles by sophomores Lea Thompson and Devin Cantu. Cantu’s single scored sophomore Alex Rath who was pinch running for Schmiederer and tied the game, 3-3.
Senior Mallory Kilian stepped to the plate with no outs and runners in scoring position. She got the job done for the Hawkeyes in walk-off fashion with a sac fly to left that scored Thompson.
Shaw (3-6) earned the victory in her first career Big Ten start, allowing three runs on five hits over seven innings. She registered four strikeouts in the win.
NOTABLES
- Aralee Bogar led the team with three runs on two hits in Iowa’s doubleheader.
- The freshman also picked up her 15th stolen base of the season. She is 15-for-15 on stolen base attempts.
- Allison Doocy threw 12 strikeouts in her start against Wisconsin. She has thrown 10 or more strikeouts in five games this season.
- Iowa is 3-0 when McKenzie Schneider hits a home run.
- This is the first time the Hawkeyes have notched back-to-back wins over Wisconsin since they won both games of a doubleheader in Madison on April 14, 2010.
QUOTING HEAD COACH MARLA LOOPER
“It was nice to come out and get two wins today. Both teams were out in the elements so neither win was easy, but I’m proud of this team and how they came out and competed today.
“Doocy did a nice job in the circle today during game one and when they did put the ball in play our defense did a solid job of taking care of the ball. When she does that we can take our time to score some runs. We got some timely hits and it was nice to be able to use Pearl Field in a positive way. We had the slappers on base and it was nice to manufacture some runs.
“At the end of game I think Schneider did a nice job in her at bat and really gave the team the spark they needed. We left all of our energy out there at the end of the game. We had some great at-bats in the seventh and were fortunately able to come away with the win.
“Our team has a grit and tenacity about them to never quit. They always continue to fight.
“As soon as Lea took off from third I knew we had the win. To see the team mob Mallory and Lea is what it’s all about. Those are the moments that we play for.”
RECORDS UPDATE
Iowa: 17-17, 3-4
Wisconsin: 16-15, 2-4
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes finish their series with Wisconsin Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (CT) at Pearl Field.
