In a game that featured plenty of talk, Christaana Angelopulos’ bat spoke the loudest as the sophomore’s two home runs propelled the Badgers to a 6-2 win and a series victory over Indiana on Sunday. 

The Badgers claimed the rubber match of this three-game series behind a complete-game performance from pitcher Maddie Schwartz and a five-run sixth inning lead by home runs from Angelopulos and Kayla Konwet. 

Wisconsin Heach Coach Yvette Healy had this to say about Angelopulos’ performance,

“She was a spark. She dug deep. She took a big hit earlier in the game and she stayed in it. To put the ball over the fence twice today, that was pretty cool.” 

The hit Healy was referring to came in the top of the 3rd inning when a collision occurred at home plate between Angelopoulos and Indiana baserunner Brooke Benson on a rundown. The hit rattled Angelopoulos as it took her several moments to get up after. Following the play, both coaches had extensive and animated conversations with the umpires, with Indiana coach Shonda Shannon eventually being ejected from the game for arguing.

In the next half of the inning, Angelopoulos stepped up to the plate facing a 1-0 deficit. She took the first pitch she saw and launched it to left-center field and over the wall for her first home run of the season. 

Angelopoulos, who came into this game with a batting average under .100, cited her teammates’ support as a huge reason for her success, “It really meant everything. I just really appreciate my teammates sticking with me, my coaches sticking with me –I got them and they got me. It’s just super cool to have that spark and going into the rest of the game it was awesome.” 

The game would remain tied at 1-1 for the next two innings as neither team could capitalize on their opportunities and both left runners stranded on the base path. Wisconsin pitcher Maddie Schwartz and Indiana pitcher Macy Montgomery kept the game tight by working out of jams and keeping getting huge outs when they needed them. 

All of that would change in the bottom of the sixth as Angelopoulos stepped up to the plate with runners on first and second. On a 2-1 count, she blasted a pitch over the center-field wall to put Wisconsin up 4-1 and give the Badgers the lead for good.  

The homer riled up a packed Goodman Diamond and a fanbase that had been making noise all game long. “It was awesome. Our fans brought the energy. It was super fun to play behind” Angelopoulos said of the atmosphere the crowd provided. 

Senior slugger Kayla Konwet added two more insurance runs later in the inning as she hit her sixth home run of the season to give the Badgers runs number five and six respectively. Senior Maddie Schwartz then finished off her third complete game of the season to earn her fifth win and give the Badgers a series victory. 

Wisconsin now owns a 20-8 record with a 5-1 record in conference play, which puts them in a three-way tie for second place in the Big Ten. Their next test will come on the road against Illinois as they face an Illini team coming off of a series win against Minnesota. The Badgers will travel down to Urbana-Champaign to kick off the series on Friday, April 8.