Head coach Carol Bruggeman mixed up the lineup looking for a spark and she found it as sophomore Andrea Hillsey, who traditionally bats third, led off with a double to left field. Hillsey advanced to third on a ground ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jesse Jones, her fourth of the year.
"The last three games we have struggled putting hits together and getting a rally going, so we mixed our lineup up a bit," Bruggeman said. "We put our best hitter in the first spot and she delivered. Enough can't be said about Andrea Hillsey. She is solid every day. Katie Absher also did well in her first start as designated player. She had two hits in the first game and another in the second. She has waited for this opportunity for a long time and she took advantage of it today."
The Boilermakers took advantage of an off-balance Jamie Dotson to score in the second. Dotson, the Wildcats' first baseman, caught a Shelli Messer foul ball for the second out in the inning, but wound up in the Northwestern dugout at the end of the play. According to the rule book, the dugout is considered out of play, the ball is ruled dead and the runners are awarded an extra base. Purdue had runners at second and third after a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt, when Messer came to bat. Andrea Roush had singled up the middle and Tricia Lilley followed with a base hit to left field. Both advanced into scoring position on an Angi Roembke bunt, and moved again on the dead ball ruling. Lilley went to third and Roush came in to score.
Four Northwestern singles put the Wildcats on the board in the bottom of the second. Dotson singled to center, J.C. Kira put one in left and pitcher Lauren Schwendimann hit another to left, before Ashley Crane's shot up the middle drove in the team's first run. The Boilermakers got Carri Leto to ground out with the bases loaded to get out of the inning without further damage.
The Wildcats tied it up in the third after a pair of singles and a sacrifice hit. Brett Nakabayashi tallied a lead-off single and moved to second on an Erin Mobley sacrifice bunt, before scoring on a Cindy Muran single up the middle.
Lilley started the Boilermakers' fourth inning rally with a double down the left field line, prompting Northwestern head coach to replace Schwendimann with Courtnay Foster on the mound. Foster, who struck out 10 Purdue players in Game 1 of the doubleheader and pitched a two-hit shutout, couldn't hold off the Boilermaker bats. Messer smacked a double down the left field line off the new pitcher, scoring Lilley. She then came around to score as Hillsey belted a home run to left, her sixth of the year.
Northwestern made it 5-3 in the fifth as Dotson doubled to center field, scoring Nakabayashi who led off with a bunt single. The hit put two aboard, Dotson and Muran who singled to center, with just one out. The situation called for senior experience, something Purdue found in relief pitcher Leighann Burke, who was hit with the loss in Game 1. Burke recorded two ground outs to end the inning, including the last out which she took care of herself.
Another ground out saved a potential run in the sixth as pinch hitter Robyn Pettinger doubled and moved to third on a fly ball, but was left stranded on the grounder.
The Wildcats had the potential tying run aboard with two out in the bottom of the seventh, but again could not convert. Muran singled up the middle and advanced to second on a ground out. Burke then walked Kira, before facing Kristen Amegin. Amegin battled, but hit the ball straight to third baseman Shelli Messer, who stepped on the bag for a force out to end the game.
Northwestern outhit Purdue 12-8, but left 10 runners aboard in the loss. LaRiva picked up the win for her four and a third innings of work, while Burke tabbed her second save of the season. Schwendimann took the loss after giving up three runs in three innings of action.
Hillsey went 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Lilley went 2 for 2 while also being hit by a pitch, moving her school record total to 11 on the season.
"Northwestern is probably the best team we have faced," Bruggeman said. "They have solid pitching, defense and hitters. It is a big win for us and at the halfway point of the Big Ten season, we are still in the hunt for good things.
The Boilermakers will play a Wednesday doubleheader against Eastern Illinois, before heading to Iowa City for a pair of games against Iowa on Friday and Saturday.