Feb. 8, 2003
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - A two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning turned a hard-earned tie into a one-run loss for the Boilermakers as they fell 8-7 to the Kansas Jayhawks in the first game of a double header on day two of the Triple Crown Invitational.
Purdue started game one with two early runs as center fielder Angi Roembke and shortstop Tricia Lilley scored on a Heidi Foster single to the fence. Lilley and Roembke both reached base on singles.
Kansas answered with seven runs and seven hits in the next three innings to take a 7-2 lead. A two-out single by Melanie Wallach in the bottom of the first scored Lindsay Weinstein from second before Wallach was put out at second trying to extend her hit to extra bases. In the second inning, two Jayhawks scored, one on a sacrifice fly to center field and another on an errant throw.
The Jayhawks padded their lead in the third inning with four runs on four hits.
The tides turned in favor of the Boilermakers in the top of the fifth as the team mounted a five-run rally to tie the score. Becky Stone entered the game as a pinch hitter and led things off with a double to right center. Tricia Lilley got hit by a pitch and Angi Roembke reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Andrea Hillsey drove in a run with a single to left and Heidi Foster cleared the rest of the bases with a three-run double. Senior Jesse Jones then doubled to right field to score Foster and tie the game.
Kansas regained the lead on a Weinstein single to left in the bottom of the inning and held Purdue to just two hits the rest of the game to clinch the win.
Purdue scored seven runs on 10 hits with two errors and Kansas tallied eight runs on nine hits in the winning effort. Foster tied a single game Purdue record for RBI in a game with five.