April 24, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue softball team swept Ball State at the Varsity Softball Complex Monday afternoon with two walk off victories. The Boilermakers (31-22 overall, 4-6 Big Ten) got an eighth inning grand slam in game one from Heidi Foster and a one-out RBI double from Crystal Inman in the seventh of game two.
"These were two spectacular games," coach Carol Bruggeman said. "We used a little bit of everything in game one to hold on until our bats got going and came from behind in the second. Heidi (Foster) was very focused today and really pounded the ball and Crystal stepped up with a clutch hit, exactly what we expect from our seniors. Megan (Dooley) was very tough and bought us some time to get some runs for her."
Dooley (11-7) was the story for Purdue through the first seven-and-a-half innings of game one. The sophomore righthander induced 18 Cardinal hitters to ground out, while surrendering only 2 hits in eight innings of work. She faced two hitters over the minimum and struck out two for her team leading 10th complete game and sixth shutout of the season.
The game remained scoreless through seven, with neither team mounting much of a threat offensively. Using the international tie-breaking rule of placing a runner at second in extra innings, Ball State was unable to score Ruth Hjemeland in the top half of the eighth, leaving the door open for a Boilermaker victory.
With pinch runner Briana Hensley placed at second to begin the inning, leadoff hitter Skeeter Nixon drew a walk. The pair advanced to second and third on a fielder's choice ground ball off the bat of Andrea Roush. Unable to make a play on Roush's grounder, the Cardinals were now faced with the bases loaded, no outs and the heart of the Purdue line-up coming to bat. Ball State starter Marcy Mobley would get Purdue's leading hitter, Katie Crabtree, to pop out for the first out of the inning, but would see her luck change in the next at-bat, as Foster lined her offering over the centerfield wall for the walk-off grand slam victory. The home run was Foster's third of the season and the four RBI's a career high.
In the second game of the twin bill, the Boilermakers fell down early in the second when the Cardinals scored an unearned run off starter Leighann Burke. The Cardinals would add another run the top of fourth, before Purdue would respond.
Down 2-0, the Boilermakers scored lone runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings to come-from-behind and sweep the two-game series. Leading the charge offensively was game one hero Foster. The freshman first baseman led off the bottom of fourth with her second home run (4) of the day, this time a solo shot to center, to bring the score to 2-1.
Undaunted, the Cardinals would score another run in the top of fifth and chase Burke from the game. With the score now 3-1, Purdue went to work at the plate. Hitting with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Andrea Roush singled to center and stole second. Crabtree followed with a single of her own to center and advanced to second on the throw from the outfield trying in vain to get an advancing Roush out at third. With Foster due up, the Cardinal coaching staff elected to intentionally walk Purdue's hottest hitter and face Jessica Jones. The freshman third baseman battled with starter Courtney Winger to draw the two-out RBI walk and inch the Boilers closer at 3-2.
Unable to respond in the top half of the sixth, Ball State would see their lead disappear in the bottom half of the inning on yet another bases loaded walk with Katie Crabtree picking up the RBI and Keely Povlitz the run.
Ball State, who left 11 runners on base in the game, was unable to regain the lead in the top half of the seventh and could only watch as Purdue put together three hits in the bottom of the inning to steal the game. Jones led off the home half of the seventh with a single down the leftfield line and was sacrificed to second by Chrissy Davie. Angie Roembke followed with an infield single to third base. With runners on first and second and one-out, Crystal Inman drove the ball over the head of the drawn-in outfield for the game-winning, walk-off double.
Nicole Crouse (5-5) picked up the win in relief, pitching the final 2.2 innings. Offensively, Purdue rapped out 11 hits in the game. Jones finished the game 2-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored. Foster, Roembke and Inman all went 2-for-3 in the contest.
The Boilermakers will be on the road this weekend for four crucial Big Ten contests with Wisconsin (3-6 Big Ten) and Minnesota (2-9 Big Ten).