March 23, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue softball team tallied two more wins Saturday, as it rolled over both Gardner - Webb and IPFW in the annual Boilermaker Invitational at the Purdue Varsity Softball Complex. The Boilermakers beat the GWU Runnin' Bulldogs 4-0 and the IPFW Mastodons 8-0. With their two wins, the Old Gold and Black also tie the school record for the longest winning streak in school history at nine games, set in 1996.
"Today was an outstanding team effort," said Purdue head coach Carol Bruggeman. "Meagan Dooley and Leighann Burke both pitched great games, especially Leighann, who had one of her better outings of the year. She had a lot of movement on the ball today and that really helped the defense.
"Once again, we really had strong offense throughout the lineup and it paid off for us. We look forward to playing Oakland tomorrow and, hopefully, participating in the championship game."
The Boilermakers started the day with their trademark "hit early, score early" attitude and tallied one hit in the first inning before scoring two runs in the top of the second.
Junior centerfielder Andrea Roush got on base with a bunted single, beating out the throw to first, and then stole second. She stayed on second until junior Jesse Jones hit her fourth home run in six games to bring both across the plate, putting the Boilermakers up, 2-0.
Purdue would score again in the top of the third inning, when a series of single bunts and sacrifice hits put junior leftfielder Angi Roembke and freshman second baseman Andrea Hillsey on-base. With Hillsey on first and Roembke on second, junior first baseman Heidi Foster laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners again and Roush hit away for a single just down the left field line. The single sent Roembke home, Hillsey to third and Roush snuck into second on the defensive throw home. However, the Gardner - Webb shortstop came up with a great play and picked Roush off at second.
The Boilermakers tallied their fourth and final run of the game in the top of the sixth inning, when freshman Katie Absher scored on a freshman Shelli Messer single. Absher was pinch running for Jones, who walked earlier in the inning.
At the plate, Hillsey went 3 for 3 and Roush was 3 for 3 with one run and one RBI.
The Boilermaker defense held the Bulldogs to only two hits and senior Meagan Dooley took the win away from the mound today, improving to 7-2 on the year. Dooley pitched the complete-game shutout and tallied five strikeouts and no walks in 25 batters faced.
In the second game, Purdue didn't disappoint in its traditional "hit the ball, score quick runs" game again. In the top of the first inning, Purdue sat the IPFW team back in the dugout with three-up, three-down defense. Then, the Boilermakers rattled off three quick runs on three hits and one IPFW error.
It all began when the leadoff batter, senior shortstop Katie Crabtree, was walked and Roembke singled on a bunt, again, beating the throw to first. Then, they both advanced one base on a passed ball and Hillsey was walked, also.
Junior first baseman Heidi Foster stepped to the plate and hit a 2 RBI single to left field, scoring both Crabtree and Roembke. Then, Hillsey advanced to third on a fielder's choice play on Roush that tagged out Foster. Junior designated player Laura Martin hit a deep fly ball to left field that scored Hillsey on the sacrifice fly. The Boilermakers were now up for good.
In the second inning, Purdue earned three more runs, scoring on three hits and an IPFW error. Crabtree and sophomore rightfielder Angela Knight scored on a Foster single to left centerfield just before Roush triple to right centerfield and earned the RBI, hitting in Foster.
In the fifth inning, Purdue scored two more to complete the run-ruled game, 8-0. Crabtree came through in the clutch for the Boilermakers, as she hit a double to right centerfield that scored Knight and Messer, who had reached on a single and an error by the IPFW shortstop.
The Boilermakers' Crabtree, Foster and Roush were all 2 for 3 from the plate, while also grabbing several RBI. Foster finished with three, Crabtree with two and Roush with one RBI.
On the mound, junior Leighann Burke won her 10th game of the season with a 5.0 inning outing for the complete-game shutout. She improves to 10-4, while striking out eight and walking none in the one-hit game.
In other action of the Boilermaker Invitational, Oakland fell to Gardner-Webb, 3-1, in the first game of the day and defeated IPFW, 2-0, in the final game of the day. Against IPFW, Oakland pitcher Nicole Marzano threw a complete-game no-hitter. She struck out 12 and walked two in the nearly perfect game.
The Boilermakers will return to the field on Sunday, when the Boilermaker Invitational continues with the final games of pool play and the championship and consolation games at the Varsity Softball Complex. Purdue will play Oakland at 11 a.m. and then play in either the consolation game at 1 p.m. or the championship game at 3 p.m.
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