April 16, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind, - The Purdue softball team snapped 13th-ranked Iowa's 17-game unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory at the Varsity Softball Complex on Sunday. The Boilermakers (27-22 overall, 4-6 Big Ten) scored a run in the top of the first and relied on the pitching of Meagan Dooley and the defense for the final six and a half innings to carry them to victory.
"A great win for Purdue," coach Carol Bruggeman said. "I've said all along that I believe defense will win games for you and today's game reinforces that belief. Meagan pitched an outstanding game, really keeping their hitters off balance, and the defense played very well behind her."
The Boilermakers, who collected three hits offensively, scored the lone run in the first without the aid of one. Skeeter Nixon led off the game with a walk off Hawkeye starter Kristi Hanks (13-5), but was out at second as Andrea Roush's attempted sac-bunt failed, resulting in a fielder's choice. Roush, atoning for her missed sacrifice, stole second on the next pitch. With Roush now on second and one out, Iowa elected to intentionally walk Katie Crabtree and face Heidi Foster. Hanks, struggling with control early on, walked Foster to load the bases, but battled back to strike out Jessica Jones for the second out of the inning. Facing Chrissy Davie, Hanks delivered a pitch in the dirt, that scooted past catcher Katy Jendrzejewski, allowing Roush to score from third for what would prove to be the winning run.
Dooley, who allowed only two Hawkeye hits all day, and the defense took control there after, with the biggest Iowa threat came in the fifth. Pinch hitter Brooke Cross made it to second on a two-out error by Jones. Bouncing back, the freshman third baseman threw out pinch hitter Megan Atkins on a grounder in the next at-bat to end the inning and quash the Iowa scoring threat.
Dooley ended the game in the seventh when she threw out Kelly Zeilstra, whom had knocked off Dooley's glove with a sharply hit grounder, at first. The sophomore right hander, pitching her ninth complete game of the season, struck out two while walking none. Of the 19 other outs, 10 were ground balls to the infield and nine were fly balls, of which only three reached the gloves of the outfield.
The Boilermakers return to action Tuesday when they travel to Valparaiso to take on the Crusaders in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.