March 31, 2001
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue softball team fell to Big Ten opponent Wisconsin today, 3-1, in nine innings for the first game of the two-game series. The Boilermakers fall to 24-10-1 (1-2 Big Ten), while the Badgers improve to 20-12 (3-0 Big Ten).
"Today was an outstanding Big Ten game," said Purdue head coach Carol Bruggeman. "Unfortunately, we waited too long to score the runs we needed to win. I thought, again, Leighann (Burke) pitched a gem of a game. We just need to score the runs behind her and do it early on in the game."
Neither the Boilermakers, nor the Badgers scored early in the contest, however. Purdue held Wisconsin to a one-hit game until the top of the fifth, when Anna Jones singled to left center field. Meghann Reiss then doubled to right field for the RBI to score Jones.
That would be the only scoring action on either side of the board until the bottom of the seventh inning. Purdue decided it would not allow itself to give up on the game and would have to give it one last try in order to stay alive and take the win.
Perhaps it was the Big Ten competition, perhaps it was being at home, perhaps it was maybe even the football team coming over from practice, just in time for the bottom of the seventh inning, but whatever it was, it worked.
Purdue's support crowd in the stands had just more than doubled and the pressure was on. The first two batters struck out swinging, but junior shortstop Katie Crabtree stepped to the plate and kept the game alive with a single up the middle to center field. Then, senior outfielder Lynne Tortorelli doubled to left field for the RBI as Crabtree scored to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and a runner on second for Purdue.
Tortorelli would not cross the plate, however, as sophomore third baseman Jesse Jones grounded out to end the inning and send the game to the top of the eighth.
The Old Gold and Black held on to the tie for another Badger at-bat but were unable to produce any hits or runs in the bottom of the eighth for their own benefit.
The Badgers would finally score in the top of the ninth inning, when Jade Gosse reached on an error and then advanced to second on a sacrifice by Diana Consolmagno. Gosse was able to move to third when Lindy Barth laid down a dribbling hit to the pitcher, but was able to beat the throw to first.
Wisconsin's Sheena Padovan then hit a solid shot up the middle to Purdue sophomore pitcher Leighann Burke. Burke then checked the runner, saw she was going and made the throw to third. But it was just slightly late and Gosse was called safe with Padovan reaching first on the fielder's choice and Barth advancing to second.
The final two hits to end the Boilermakers' day came as Nicki Starry tallied a single to left field to score Gosse and keep the bases loaded as Jones flied out to deep right field for the sacrifice fly to score Barth.
Purdue then retired Burke on the mound to bring in sophomore Nicole Crouse with runners on first and second. Crouse stepped up and nailed her job, striking out Jennifer Grill, looking.
The bottom of the ninth wasn't able to produce runs for the Boilermakers, despite tallying one hit to the shortstop by Crabtree.
"Softball is a game of timing," said Tortorelli. "Unfortunately, we didn't hit the ball with our runners on second and third like we should have. But that's one of the things that we're working on as a team. Coach (Bruggeman) always tells us that you can't win or lose the Big Ten in a single day and this loss today just makes us realize that that's all the more true. We are fired up and tomorrow we will be very ready to play this team again."
The Boilermakers will return to the field when they host the Badgers of Wisconsin again on Sunday for the second game of the two-game series. The start time is 1 p.m. CDT, or Chicago time.
-P-