February 21, 1999
RALEIGH, N.C. - After winning three consecutive games, the Boilermaker softball team (3-2) ran out of steam in the final eight of the 24-team Triangle Classic on Sunday afternoon. Purdue eliminated tournament-host North Carolina in the first game of the day by score of 4-1 before falling to Marshall in a tightly-played 4-3 loss.
"Overall I'm very pleased with this team's competitiveness," head coach Carol Bruggeman said. "We competed in every game and had a chance to win. Its nice to come home with a winning record."
Against the Tar Heels, freshman pitcher Meagan Dooley (2-0) continued her pitching dominance. The Phoenix, Ariz., native earned her second complete-game victory of the tournament, allowing three hits and one unearned run. Offensively, Purdue scored two runs in the first inning and never looked back. Production came from freshman Chrissy Davie who scored two runs and senior Kristen Billen who had two RBI.
"I thought we played our best game of the tournament against North Carolina," Bruggeman said. "We really rose to the occasion when we played them."
In the second game, the Thundering Herd touched up freshman pitcher Nicole Crouse for four runs on five hits in the first two innings. However, the bleeding stopped there, as Dooley took the mound again and kept Marshall scoreless in the final 5.1 innings. Her bid for an all-tournament team selection included a 2-0 record with one earned run in 19.1 innings-pitched (0.36 ERA).
"It was an outstanding first tournament for our freshman pitchers," Bruggeman said. "Dooley did a tremendous job and Crouse did well too."
The Boilers rallied back against Marshall with two runs in the fourth and one in the seventh, but stranded runners on first and second when the game ended. Natasha Johnson was the winning pitcher for the second time in as many days against Purdue, as the Boilers left 10 runners on base in Sunday's loss.
Purdue had several standout offensive performances in the tournament. At one point, Mercier had six straight hits in six trips to the dish. The senior co-captain was 8-for-16 in the five-game tourney. Junior Danica Maher also provided some punch, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, and senior Denise Szany was 5-for-14 (.357) with four RBI and four walks. Senior Mandy Smart was also over the .300 mark, going 4-for-11 (.364).
Areas to improve upon include defense and bunting. Purdue committed 10 errors in five games and struggled to consistently lay down a bunt.
"We need to solidify our defense and work on our short game before the next tournament," Bruggeman said.
Purdue will now prepare for the Speedline Invitational in Tampa, Fla., on March 4-7.
"Despite our success in the last three years, I think this is the first time that we have come back from our first tournament in February with a winning record," Bruggeman said.
R H ENorth Carolina 1 3 0Purdue 4 6 4
Marshall 4 8 1Purdue 3 8 0