MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin softball team fell to the Minnesota Gophers in both games of Tuesday's midweek doubleheader after being shut out in both of contests.

GAME ONE

The border battle opponent started hot on offense scoring five runs on six hits, five of those being singles in the second inning. With that, the Gophers (30-16, 11-6) took an early 5-0 lead. 

Wisconsin's (23-18, 8-9) Peyton Bannon singled in an attempt to battle back in the following inning but was stranded on first. 

In the top of the third, Minnesota freshman Sydney Schwartz, the younger sister of Badger pitcher Maddie Schwartz, hit a two run bomb over the left field wall for the visiting team's seventh run in just three innings. 

The Badgers looked to breakup the shutout in the bottom half of the inning with the top of the lineup coming up for UW. Molly Schlosser, one of the Badgers hottest hitters, started off with a single to right field, but was doubled up the next play as Kayla Konwent hit a hot-shot grounder to the shortstop for a quick 6-4-3 double play. Katie Keller would follow with a single and then advance to second after a Brooke Kuffel hit by pitch. The Badger threat, however, would end in the next at-bat after a Skylar Sirdashney line out to the pitcher.

However, the Gophers scored two more runs in the top of the fourth and grabbed hold of a 9-0 advantage. 

In Wisconsin's last attempt to extend the game in the fifth inning, both Ellie Hubbard and Katie Keller singled to right field, but without a run scored, the Gophers claimed the win in five inning in a run-rule victory. 

GAME TWO

The second game started out similar to the first with Minnesota putting up two early runs in the first inning on a home run and an RBI single. 

In the top of the fourth, the Gophers scored their third run of the game; however, a perfect rally starting with Molly Schlosser in left field made its way to Skylar Sirdashney, who threw a dime to Katie Keller at home to tag the runner and deny the second runner for Minnesota.

The opposing Big Ten team scored two more runs, one in each of the fifth and sixth innings and the Badgers just could not seem to respond on offense. Minnesota pitcher Autumn Pease proved why she was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week as she struck out nine Badgers, improving to 21-6 on the season, in her six innings pitched while only giving up the one hit to Katie Keller in the bottom of the first inning. 

Minnesota scored twice more in the top of the seventh, and although Peyton Bannon hit a late-game double to left center with two outs, Wisconsin was unable to produce a seventh-inning comeback and fell to the Gophers 7-0. 

Up Next: With just two more Big Ten series to play, Wisconsin will prepare for the University of Maryland this upcoming weekend, with the first game currently scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Friday night.