May 8, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Purdue softball team spoiled Indiana's Senior Day festivities by handing the Hoosiers a 3-2 loss Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Big Ten Tournament bound Boilermakers finish the conference season at 10-10, marking the best Big Ten record for Purdue since the 1997 team went 14-12.The tournament appearance will be team's first since the 2000 season.
The Boilermakers wasted no time jumping on the scoreboard as they put up two runs on four hits in the opening stanza. Senior Shelli Messer (Greenfield, Ind.) led off with a single to left, but was picked up a play later. Senior Katie Absher (Puyallup, Wash.) then reached on an infield single. Senior Andrea Hillsey (White Lake, Mich.) joined her on base with a walk. A Tricia Lilley (North Canton, Ohio) single through the left side loaded the bases for sophomore DaQueta Johnson (Ontario, Calif.) who picked up the RBI after being hit by a pitch. Junior Staci Falzon (Carlsbad, Calif.) added another run with a single to right that scored Hillsey. Sophomore Erika Peterson (Irvine, Calif.) reached on a fielder's choice in which the Hoosiers got the force out at the plate. A grounder to the shortstop left three stranded.
Purdue loaded the bases again in the second inning. Junior Becky Stone (Belleville, Ill.) singled to right, then Messer reached on a fielder's choice. The Hoosiers went for the out at second, but pinch runner Tiffany Krcelich (Granger, Ind.) was safe as the shortstop dropped the ball after stepping on the bag. Hillsey walked to fill the bases with one out, but a pop up and a fly ball to right kept the Boilermakers from capitalizing.
Indiana tallied its first hit of the game as Tory Yamaguchi singled into the hole to lead off the bottom of the second. A sacrifice moved her to second, but a pair of strikeouts left her stranded.
Peterson added to the Purdue hit tally with a one-out single through the right side in the third, but was unable to round the bases after a strikeout and liner to third base.
After a pair of strikeouts in the third, Ashley Griffiths sent a full-count offering over the left field wall to end the Boilermakers' bid for a shutout. Kim Richards walked then stole second, but a fly ball to center left her stranded.
Messer walked to lead off the fourth and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Absher. Hillsey singled to left, moving Messer to third, then Lilley was hit by a pitch to load the bases yet again. A strikeout and fly out prevented Purdue from taking advantage of the scoring opportunity.
The Hoosiers tied the game on a Yamaguchi solo home run to right center in the fourth. The next three batters went down in order.
Peterson reached on a fielding error by the second baseman in the fifth. Junior Lauren Devich (Bloomington, Ind.) followed with a fielder's choice, which saw pinch runner Ashley Hall (Noblesville, Ind.) out at second. Stone laid down a sacrifice to move Devich to second, but a liner to the second baseman ended the inning.
Freshman Melissa Burns (Miami, Fla.) entered the game to pitch in the bottom of the fifth. The first two IU batters grounded out before Griffiths drew a two-out walk. A strikeout, however, left her stranded.
Absher was hit by a pitch to start the sixth inning, then stole second, but was unable to score.
The Boilermakers regained the lead on a two-out RBI single by Stone in the seventh. Falzon led off with a walk, then moved to second on a sacrifice by Peterson, before scoring on the Stone hit up the middle. A strikeout left Stone stranded.
Janetta Deaven singled to second base to lead off the Hoosier half of the seventh. A strikeout and grounder followed, before Heather Hohs singled to left to put runners at the corners. Purdue brought in sophomore Brooke Baker (Schererville, Ind.) to face the final IU batter. Baker did her job, picking up the save, by getting Griffiths to ground out to the third baseman.
Stone led the Boilermakers at the plate, posting a 2-for-3 day as well as the game-winning RBI. Six other Purdue players tallied hits as the team scored three runs on eight hits. IU scored two runs on five hits, while committing two errors.
Burns (7-2) earned the victory, striking out four in 2.2 innings of relief, while Baker garnered her third save of the year. Mariangee Bogado (2-10) was charged with the loss after giving up the game-winner in the seventh.
The Boilermakers will return to action on Tuesday, when they play host to Notre Dame in a single game at 3 p.m. From there, the team will trek to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Big Ten Tournament.