Yvette Healy: 'Battle-tested' Badgers came 'prepared' to face Mattie Boyd, Rutgers

11-seed Wisconsin jumped out to an early 1-0 lead against 3-seed Rutgers on Thursday, seeing Hilary Blomberg log and RBI single in the top of the first inning.

Badgers head coach Yvette Healy praised her team on both sides of the bat for keeping her team in the game despite the seeding discrepancy.

“We’ve we played a tough schedule this year, so I think we’re really battle-tested,” Healy told the SEC Network broadcast before the bottom of the fourth inning. “We’ve seen a lot of great teams and this conference is so good, it’s got us prepared to face great pitchers like we’re doing now. So I think the team is excited and just wants to keep playing for one more day.”

While the first run came early, adding insurance runs were an issue over the next several innings. Facing All-Big Ten pitcher Mattie Boyd, the Badgers were rendered hitless over the next three innings while the Scarlet Knights’ offense went on to tie the game before the end of the fourth.

“We saw Boyd earlier in the year and she definitely had us mystified,” Healy admitted. “And I think the last couple of weekends of seeing such great pitching in our conference has prepped us a little more. So I’m pretty excited to get to go after one of the best, and all-conference kid and it’s just another opportunity.”

In the fifth inning, Boyd was put in a jam by the Badgers, ultimately seeing the Badgers bring another pair of runs home on a pair of defensive errors. Hilary Blomberg would come back in the fifth inning to pad the lead, barreling a no-doubt home run to left field to extend the lead to 5-1.

2024 Big Ten Tournament bracket, schedule

1st Round–Wednesday, May 8

Game 1: No. 8 Indiana 6, No. 9 Purdue 3
Game 2: No. 5 Minnesota 10, No. 12 Illinois 7
Game 3: No. 7 Penn State 1, No. 10 Maryland 3
Game 4: No. 6 Ohio State 1, No. 11 Wisconsin 5

Quarterfinals–Thursday, May 9th

Game 5: No. 8 Indiana 4, No. 1 Northwestern 3
Game 6: No. 4 Nebraska 11, No. 5 Minnesota 2 (Final/5)
Game 7: No. 2 Michigan 10, No. 10 Maryland 0
Game 8: No. 3 Rutgers vs. No. 11 Wisconsin (Ongoing)

Semifinals–Friday, May 10th

Game 9: No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 4 Nebraska — 4:00 PM on BTN
Game 10: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. XXX — 6:30 PM on BTN

Championship–Saturday, May 11th

Game 11: Winner of Game 9 vs. Game 10 — 3:00 PM on BTN

Please note–all television times listed are Central Standard Time and are subject to change.

Big Ten Network Games are also available on the FOX Sports app. For more information, please visit the Big Ten Tournament website here.