March 24, 1999
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Junior Skeeter Nixon and sophomore Lynne Tortorelli both had back-to-back, multiple-hit games on Wednesday afternoon to help the Purdue softball team (15-10) split with Evansville (25-5). The Boilers won the first game 2-1, but lost the second 4-2.
"We hit the ball really well today, but we didn't get the key hits when we needed them," head coach Carol Bruggeman said.
Nixon and Tortorelli accounted for nine of Purdue's 16 hits on the day, raising their season averages to .346 and .296, respectively. In the first game, Tortorelli was 2-for-2, including an RBI-single that scored Katie Crabtree for a 1-0 lead. Crabtree reached on a line drive triple to right center. In the third inning, Purdue added another run, when senior Jenny Barnett scored on consecutive errors by Evansville. Freshman pitcher Nicole Crouse (7-5) made the 2-0 lead hold up, as she allowed one earned run for the complete-game victory.
In game number two, Purdue took an early advantage in the third inning, when Crabtree looped a two-run double down the left-field line to score Keely Povlitz and Nixon. An inning later, Evansville answered with two runs on three hits. The score remained tied until the sixth, when Jen Thomson hit a two-out, two-run double to give the Purple Aces the lead for good. Freshman Meagan Dooley (8-5) took the loss for the Boilers, who outhit Evansville 10-8, but left eight runners on base.
"Right now, we are playing at the level of our competition," Bruggeman said. "We're a good team, but if we want to be one of the elite teams in the country, we need to raise our level of play."
One possible reason why the Boilers' run-production suffered against Evansville is due to the fact that designated player Denise Szany missed Wednesday's games with bronchitis. The senior leads the team in RBI with 15 and holds the second-highest batting average at .349. Szany hopes to return for this weekend's games.
Purdue will now prepare to host the annual Boilermaker Classic on March 27-28. Purdue plays Bradley at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by No. 25 Central Michigan at 11 a.m.
R H EEvansville 1 7 2Purdue 2 6 0
Evansville 4 8 0Purdue 2 10 0