Badgers beat Cornhuskers in regular season finale at Goodman Diamond

Sophomore Haley Hestekin allowed one unearned run over four innings and the University of Wisconsin softball team used a three-run second inning to defeat Nebraska 4-2 on Sunday in the regular-season finale at Goodman Diamond.

Hestekin (17-4) allowed two hits while walking three and striking out two, and junior Kaitlyn Menz allowed one earned run over three innings of relief as the Badgers (38-11, 15-8 Big Ten) won the decisive outing of the three-game series.

Junior Caroline Hedgcock, senior Kelly Welsh and junior Kayla Konwent each had run-scoring singles in the second inning as UW built a 3-0 lead against the Cornhuskers (21-30, 9-14). Sophomore Lauren Foster’s home run in the third inning pushed the Badgers’ lead to 4-1.

The Badgers finished fifth in the Big Ten and will face 12th-seeded Iowa in a first-round game of the Big Ten tournament on Thursday morning in Bloomington, Indiana.

Men’s hockey: Former UW athlete Ryan Suter, a defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, was named an alternate captain for the U.S. team that will open play in the IIAF Men’s World Championship on Friday in Kosice, Slovakia.

Men’s rowing: The Badgers’ varsity eight finished nine seconds behind Northeastern, which swept all three races on the Charles River in Boston to retain the Congram Cup.