Feb. 14, 2003
LAS VEGAS - A five-run first inning was more than enough for the Boilermakers to outlast the host UNLV Rebels as Purdue rolled to a 10-1 mercy rule victory in game two of the UNLV Classic Friday night. The team knocked a single-game school record four balls over the fences in the effort.
The Old Gold and Black (2-4) started off with a bang, putting the first two batters aboard courtesy of a hit-by-pitch and a Angi Roembke single to short. Sophomore Andrea Hillsey then drove a three-run round tripper over the left field wall, her first of the season, to give the Boilermakers a 3-0 and end Becky McDonald's outing on the mound. Jackie Kerrigan came in to try to slow the rally, but had no luck. Third baseman Jesse Jones walked and scored on a double by senior Andrea Roush. Freshman Becky Stone then saw her first action as the starting designated player and knocked a single down the left field line to score Roush and cap a 5-0 rally.
Right-handed Diana LaRiva and the Boilermaker defense maintained the lead, allowing just one more hit in the next three innings.
Purdue padded its lead in the fourth inning with another five-run rally. With one out, junior Angela Knight launched her first career home run, a solo effort to left field. Freshman Tricia Lilley tallied her first long ball on the next pitch, with a solo shot to left center. Roembke bunted to reached first and was joined on base by Hillsey, who received a free pass on balls. Senior Heidi Foster cleared the bases with her 22nd career homer.
With a 10-run lead, the Boilermakers put sophomore Shelli Messer on the mound, freshman Staci Falzon in right field and freshman Lauren Devich at second base. The Rebels would not go down easily, however, threatening to extend the game. Messer walked the lead batter, Britney Hillyer, who then scored on a Kacey Ellis double to left center. After a strike out, Ellis advanced to third on a passed ball and was called out attempting to score when catcher Kristen Schell lobbed the ball to Messer for the tag on the slide. UNLV ended the game with a ground out to Messer.
The Old Gold and Black scored 10 runs on nine hits, while only allowing one run on three hits. With the win, LaRiva moves to 1-2, while Becky McDonald drops to 0-4 with the loss.
"It was a good day for us," head coach Carol Bruggeman said. "Our goal was to improve each game and we certainly did that from last weekend. The game against Cal was very played by both teams, they just got one key hit and we didn't. To battle the No. 3 team in the nation to a 1-0 game says a lot about our team. In the second game, it was an offensive explosion like I have never witnessed before at Purdue. We hit four home runs including three first timers. Diana deserves a lot of credit for the game as well. She kept them off balance and threw a lot of strikeouts. It was obviously our best overall game of the year so far."
Purdue moves to 2-4 on the season, going into a 9 a.m. meeting with Texas Tech.