March 16, 2001
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Purdue softball team split its first two games of the 2001 Capital Classic on Thursday, March 15. The tournament is hosted by Sacamento State.
The Boilermakers opened with a 3-1 loss to third-ranked California in eight innings. Freshman designated player Sara Hall homered in the bottom of the third inning to give Purdue a 1-0 lead that held up until the Golden Bears tied the game in the top of the seventh and won it with two runs in the eighth. Hall had the Boilermakers' lone hit of the game.
Sophomore left-hander Leighann Burke coasted through the first six innings, not allowing a hit. But Cal, which improved to 30-0 on the season, got an RBI double from catcher Courtney Scott to tie the score. In the eighth, played under NCAA tie-breaking rules, the Bears moved their placed runner on second base to third via a sacrifice and scored on a single by second baseman Eryn Manahan. Center fielder Amber Phillips added a run-scoring single later in the frame.
Burke (5-3) worked all eight innings, allowing three hits, three runs and seven walks to go with six strikeouts.
Against Miami (Ohio), Purdue broke a 4-4 tie with a run in the bottom of the sixth for the victory. Senior catcher Keely Povlitz's RBI groundout scored junior shortstop Katie Crabtree with the winning run.
The Boilermakers scored two runs in the first inning and led 3-1 after three before Miami tallied single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
Crabtree, Hall and sophomore left-fielder Angi Roembke each had two hits for Purdue. Crabtree scored two runs. Sophomore designated hitter Laura Martin homered.
Junior Meagan Dooley earned the win in relief of starter Nicole Crouse.
Purdue, now 15-7-1, resumes pool play Friday against Western Kentucky at 11 a.m. PST and Eastern Illinois at 3 p.m. PST. Following pool play, teams are seeded into a single-elimination bracket to determine the tournament champion. First-round losers in bracket play will move into the single-elimination consolation bracket.