Feb. 21, 2004
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - A seventh-inning insurance run served its purpose for the Western Kentucky softball team as it held off a late Boilermaker rally to pull out a 6-5 win at the Sonic Challenge Saturday afternoon.
Purdue started the game off with a two-run first inning. Andrea Hillsey reached on a fielder's choice then scored on a DaQueta Johnson double that bounced off the center field fence. Johnson wasn't on base long, however, as Kristen Schell followed with a double into the right center gap, giving the Boilermakers a 2-0 lead. A ground ball ended the inning.
The Boilermakers boosted their lead to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Angela Knight walked and then stole second. Hillsey joined her on the base paths with a free ticket of her own. Schell then singled up the middle driving in Knight from second, then Shelli Messer followed with an RBI single into left field.
Western Kentucky answered in the top of the fifth with five runs on four hits. A fielder's choice put Samantha Hansen on first. She then moved to second on an Alana Towns single up the middle. The pair advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Riley Garcia walked to load the bases, before Lindsay Gatti was hit by a pitch to give WKU its first run. Jessie Richardson singled up the middle to drive in two runs, then Shelly Floyd followed with a two-run double into right center to give the Hilltoppers a 5-4 lead. Sophomore Diana LaRiva relieved Brooke Baker on the mound and forced a pop up and ground out to stop the bleeding for the Boilermakers.
The Hilltoppers added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, combining a Renita Pennington triple and a Shelly Floyd sacrifice fly for what would be the winning run.
Purdue kept hope alive in the bottom of the inning as Tricia Lilley drilled a lead-off single up the third baseline and moved to second on a wild pitch. Knight then singled to the pitcher, moving Lilley to third. Hillsey pulled the Boilermakers to within one with a sacrifice fly into right field. Schell posted a two-out single up the middle, moving Knight to third and giving Purdue runners at the corners. Pitcher Ashley Schwartz threw one pitch to Shelli Messer, before Adrienne Lathrop relieved her and closed the game with a swinging strikeout.
WKU scored six runs on seven hits, while Purdue posted five runs on eight hits and committed two errors.
Schell went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Boilermaker offensive effort. Schwartz (1-0) picked up the win, while Lathrop took the save. Baker (1-1) took the loss after allowing five runs in four and a third innings of action.
"It was a disappointing day," head coach Carol Bruggeman said of the team's two losses. "We are a much better hitting team than we showed today. Hopefully, we will bounce back and get a pair of wins tomorrow."
Purdue returns to action at 10 a.m. Sunday against Samford and then finishes off the Sonic Challenge with a 12:15 contest against Dayton.