Feb. 19, 2000
By Tom Schott
RALEIGH N.C. - With her teammates still working to break out of a batting slump, Purdue pitcher Meagan Dooley didn't take any chances. The sophomore right-hander fired a nifty 1-0 no-hitter against Temple on Saturday morning at the Triangle Classic.
Dooley, a native of Phoenix, walked two and struck out two. The only other Temple batter to reach base came on an error by the pitcher herself. The Owls hit just one ball to the outfield - a routine flyout to center fielder Lynne Tortorelli in the sixth inning - while Dooley induced 16 groundball outs. Both walks came in the second inning, with the error occurring in the fifth.
"Meagan was hitting her spots today, and when she does that she is tough," Purdue coach Carol Bruggeman said. "She is so competitive and intense. You could see it in her eyes. She wasn't going to get beat. She also had a great defense behind her, which you need in any no-hitter."
The win was the first of the season for Dooley, who came in with an 0-2 record despite a snappy 0.73 ERA. She left with a snappier 0.36 ERA, having allowed merely one earned run and 10 hits in 19.1 innings. Opponents are batting a minuscule .149 (10-for-67) against her.
Meanwhile, the Boilermakers mustered just one hit themselves against Temple's Bari Lynn Pflueger. Purdue freshman third baseman Jessica Jones socked an opposite field home run to right field with one out in the second inning to give Dooley the only run she would need. It marked Jones' first collegiate home run and RBI.
"If you're only going to get one hit, you certainly hope it's a home run and that your pitcher throws a no-hitter," Bruggeman said. "I know we're going to hit more. We have too many good hitters in our lineup. They're trying so hard, maybe too hard. I definitely can't fault their effort. One of these days we're going to have an offensive explosion. When that happens, watch out."
Dooley's previous low-hit game was a two-hitter against IUPUI in the first game of a double-header on April 20, 1999, in a 5-0 Purdue victory. Dooley was 14-11 with a 3.29 ERA last season. She now has two lifetime shutouts.
The Boilermakers (2-6) concluded pool play with a 1-2 record. They will begin bracket play Saturday night at either 6 or 8 o'clock.