The Iowa softball team suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday. The Hawkeyes lost 8-7 and 4-2 in Friday’s doubleheader, and the Badgers completed the sweep on Saturday, 7-5.

Iowa falls to 21-12 overall and 3-4 in conference play with the losses, while Wisconsin improves to 22-12 overall and 6-4 in Big Ten play with the victories. 

Here are three takeaways from the disappointing weekend: 

Inability to close out games

All three Hawkeye losses were within two runs, including a walk-off loss in game one. In game one, Iowa held a 7-4 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning, before allowing four runs as the Badgers walked off the Hawkeyes.

Jalen Adams got the nod for game one in the circle, and had a poor outing as she gave up five runs on seven hits through 6.1 innings. Talia Tretton took over for Adams in the seventh and gave up a homer and two triples, wiping away the Hawkeye lead and winning the game for the Badgers.

In game three, Iowa got on the board first with two runs in the opening inning. The Badgers responded with two runs in the third, and tacked on five more in the fourth. 

The Hawkeyes surged late with one run in the fifth and two in the sixth, but it ultimately wasn’t enough as they fell, 7-5. Adams again got the start in game three, giving up seven runs, only three of which were earned, on six hits as the Hawkeyes could not hold onto their early lead. 

Slow start offensively

Iowa fell behind early in two of the three games over the weekend, and could not maintain their lead when they did attack early.

In game one on Friday, the Badgers shot out of a cannon, scoring four runs in the first three innings. The Hawkeyes finally responded in the fourth and fifth innings, grabbing the lead with five runs through both innings. Iowa added two more in the seventh before collapsing in the bottom half of the inning.

In game two, Wisconsin again grabbed the first lead in the second inning, posting two runs. The Hawkeyes responded with two of their own runs in the third, but could not muster any more offense the rest of the way as they fell by a 4-2 margin. 

The Hawkeyes jumped ahead to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game three, but could not maintain the lead as they gave up seven runs across the third and fourth innings. Iowa then posted one run in the fifth, and two in the sixth, but could not finish a comeback as they fell by a score of 7-5.

Bottom half of order struggles

Over the previous eight games before the series in Wisconsin, where the Hawkeyes went 7-1, the bottom half of the Iowa lineup seemed to be coming around, creating more balance for the Hawkeye offense. 

The story was different in Madison this weekend, as the Hawkeyes’ lineup looked top-heavy. Iowa’s top four hitters went a combined 13-for-38 over all three games, driving in 12 of the 14 runs scored. 

While it is a good sign for the Hawkeyes to see the top half of the order producing, the lack of balance led to mid-game struggles, where the Badgers took advantage offensively. Balance has been a key for Iowa all season, as they started 21-9 in the first 30 games.

Batters five through nine in the Hawkeyes’ starting lineup went 8-for-39, equaling around a .205 average, over the weekend. 

Up Next

The Hawkeyes return home for a three-game series against Nebraska on April 4-6. The Cornhuskers are currently 25-8 overall and 5-1 Big Ten play. 

First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 5 p.m at Bob Pearl Field in Iowa City.