April 28, 2004
DAYTON, Ohio - The Boilermaker softball team tallied two runs on eight hits en route to a 2-1 victory over Dayton in Game 1 of Wednesday's non-conference doubleheader. The team looks to reach the 30-win milestone for the eighth season in program history with a victory in the night cap slated to begin at 6:20 p.m.
After putting two runners on to no avail in the first, the Boilermakers made good on an opportunity in the second inning. Junior Shelli Messer walked to lead off the stanza, then moved to second on a Katie Fortune sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Lauren Devich picked up the RBI with a double up the left field line. A ground ball advanced Devich to third, but another grounder left her stranded.
The Flyers got their first base runner in the bottom of the inning on a lead-off single up the middle by Tiffany Ward. An error by the center fielder put Tracie Weinheimer on, then a ground ball moved both runners into scoring position. Two more ground balls got Purdue out of the inning without any damage.
The Boilermakers tacked on another run in the third on a pair of hits. Senior Angela Knight led off by bouncing a triple off the center field wall. Freshman DaQueta Johnson drove in the run with a two-out single up the middle.
Dayton broke onto the scoreboard in the seventh with a two-out single to left. Spencer Izor started things off with a one-out single up the middle. Pinch runner Ellie Malchow then advanced to second on a ground ball to short. Christina Vetter then picked up Dayton's lone RBI with the two-out base hit. A looking strikeout clinched the game for Purdue.
Purdue scattered eight hits throughout the game, including one in all but the fourth inning, while the Flyers scored one run on four hits and an error.
Knight led the Purdue bats with a 3-for-4 outing, while Falzon added two hits. Freshman Brooke Baker (16-10) struck out eight Flyers in the complete game victory, while Chelsea Grozenski (2-13) took the loss.