Wisconsin softball: Maddie Schwartz twirls gem to beat Gophers as UW advances in Big Ten Tournament

Entering postseason play on a six-game losing streak, the Wisconsin Badgers needed a spark to get back on the right track and after taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, left fielder Peyton Bannon provided it with a web gems worthy catch to rob Minnesota of a hit. The Badgers added an insurance run in the fifth to win the Border Battle 2-0, but that was overkill with the way Maddie Schwartz was dealing on the mound.

Schwartz was dominant in the win, scattering three hits in her complete game shutout while striking out three and only walking one. Schwartz moved into a tie for fourth place in school history with her 23rd win of the season. Only Andrea Kirchburg, Cassandra Darrah and Kaitlyn Menz have posted more wins in a single-season than she.

Fiona Girardot paced the UW offense, going 2-for-3 and scoring a run, while Ellie Hubbard and Morgan Kummer knocked in the two runs for the Badgers.

After blanking the Gophers, and beating Minnesota for the first time since 2016, Wisconsin moves on to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Awaiting them is the Big Ten champion, and top-seeded, Northwestern Wildcats. First pitch is on Thursday at approximately 3:30 p.m. CT live on Big Ten Network.

There were no upsets in the rest of the bracket and the winner between NU and UW will play either Michigan or Maryland in the semifinals on Friday afternoon.