March 14, 1999
SAN JOSE, Calif. - It was Arkansas' (20-11) fifth game of the day and Purdue's (12-6) fourth. Both teams were tired, hungry and arm-weary, but a victory meant a spot in the final four of the 20-team National Invitational Softball Tournament. The outcome included 30 hits, three lead changes and a Boilermaker comeback that will not soon be forgotten.
"It was the most energetic and fun game that I've ever played in," junior Skeeter Nixon said.
The fun began in the top of the first, when Arkansas scored two runs with two outs to take a temporary 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Purdue retaliated with four runs on three hits, highlighted by an RBI-double from senior Kristen Billen, who redeemed herself after making a costly error in the top of the first.
After Purdue added an extra run in the second, it looked as though the Boilers might cruise to victory behind the pitching of freshman Nicole Crouse (6-3), but the Razorbacks came to life with another two-out rally in the fourth. Three singles and a walk later, Arkansas held a 6-5 edge.
In the top of the fifth, Arkansas chased Crouse out of the game with two more runs on three hits and it looked as though the Razorbacks had taken the wind out of Purdue's sails. However, the Boilers answered the challenge in the bottom of the fifth, when an unlikely source of power came from senior Jenny Barnett. Batting in the eighth spot, Barnett ripped a two-strike pitch high over the left-center-field fence to score three runs and tie the score at 8-8.
"It was exhausting and fun at the same time," head coach Carol Bruggeman said afterwards.
Arkansas bounced right back to score single runs in the sixth and seventh, but when freshman Chrissy Davie made a spectacular, diving catch with the bases loaded to end the Razorbacks' rally, it showed that Purdue had a spark left.
In the last of the seventh, senior Sam Mercier and Nixon reached base on scrappy, infield singles to bring senior Denise Szany to the plate. With one out, Szany hit a frozen rope into the right-center-field gap to tie the score at 10-10. After a Billen walk and a ground out by freshman Katie Crabtree, senior Mandy Smart stepped up with two outs and runners on second and third. After fouling off two potential third strikes, Smart slapped a solid single through the left side to score pinch runner Joy Ishida and set off a Purdue celebration.
"They got the hits and we got the hits," Szany said. "We battled back all day."
Purdue will now face No. 23 Iowa on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. A little revenge is at stake for Purdue. The Hawkeyes (12-6) knocked Purdue out of the Speedline Invitational last weekend.
R H EArkansas 10 13 2Purdue 11 17 2