April 15, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue softball team fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes 4-0 in Big Ten action on Saturday at the Varisty Softball Complex in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers (26-22, 3-6 Big Ten) could manage only three hits off Iowa starter Kelly Zeilstra, and watched as their fielding woes continued to haut them, committing two errors that would lead to three Iowa runs.
"We have to play better defense," coach Carol Bruggeman said. "Iowa is a team that is going to put the ball in play and we have to be solid enough, defensively, to get the outs. I thought Leighann (Burke) pitched very well for us today and deserves credit for keeping the score close."
Burke went the distance, pitching seven innings in the loss. Of the four runs Iowa scored, only one was charged as earned to the freshman. Burke struck out five Hawkeye batters to run her team-leading total to 95 for the season.
Katie Crabtree was the lone Boilermaker to pick up multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3.
The Boilers and the Hawkeyes wrap up their two game series on Sunday with a game scheduled for 1 p.m. at the VSC.