Blue Raiders Fall to Badgers 4-2

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Middle Tennessee softball (6-16-1) dropped its second game at the Stanford Invitational on Friday when the Blue Raiders fell 4-2 to Wisconsin (5-6) at Smith Family Field.

After being shutout by BYU, 4-0, on Thursday, Middle Tennessee scored the first run of the game in the first inning against Wisconsin. Senior outfielder Michelle Wilkes led off with a single and stole second to move into scoring position. Wilkes moved to third on a ground out by Jennifer Dorais and scored when Melissa Weiland hit an RBI single.

The Blue Raiders led 1-0 for two innings before Wisconsin unloaded for three runs in the bottom of the third inning. The Badgers added an additional run in the bottom of the fifth.

Middle Tennessee scored its second run of the game in the bottom of the seventh. Katie Mielke hit a single with one out and advanced to second off a fielder's choice play that allowed Shelby Stiner to reach first. Mielke and Stiner pulled off a double steal to place Mielke in scoring position and Mielke scored when Samantha Floyd's ground out to second allowed her to reach home.

Wilkes had two of the Blue Raiders five hits and scored one of the club's two runs. Sophomore hurler Ashley Katinas started the game and went two innings allowing one run on one hit. White came in for Katinas and gave up two runs and took the loss, she falls to 1-6 on the season.

Middle Tennessee's game with Pacific was rained out.

The Blue Raiders wrap up the Stanford Invitational on Sunday by playing host Stanford at 3 p.m. and then Miami of Ohio at 7 p.m.

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