April 1, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A two-out sixth inning rally lifted the Purdue softball team to a 3-1 win over Penn State in Game 2 of the Big Ten series on Saturday. The Boilermakers look to build on the win when they take on Ohio State Sunday in a noon doubleheader.
The Nittany Lions tallied the game's first hit with a two-out double by Jen Acunto in the bottom of the first, but could not bring her home.
Junior Erika Peterson (Irvine, Calif.) put Purdue on the scoreboard with a solo home run to dead center field in the second.
The Nittany Lions threatened again in the fourth, as Acunto doubled and went to third on a ground ball, but was left stranded once again.
PSU evened the score with a single swing of the bat as Leigh Murray led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run over the left field wall. A trio of ground balls ended the stanza.
The Boilermakers scored two runs on two hits and a walk in a two-rally in the sixth. Senior Becky Stone (Belleville, Ill.) started things off with a single up the middle. Senior Tricia Lilley (North Canton, Ohio) joined her on base with a walk. Both runners scored as junior DaQueta Johnson doubled to right center. Freshman Katie Mitchell (Crown Point, Ind.) walked, prompting a pitching change for the Nittany Lions. Missy Beseres relieved Ashley Esparza in the circle and got the next batter to ground out to avoid further damage.
"I was seeing the ball really well today, but I didn't make the adjustments right away," Johnson said. "I was ahead of the pitcher in my first two at-bats, so I just told myself to be patient and wait for it. I was determined to get a hit no matter what."
Penn State went down in order in the seventh to seal the Purdue win.
Purdue scored three runs on four hits, while allowing PSU one run on four hits. Junior Brooke Baker (Schererville, Ind.) earned the complete-game win for the Boilermakers, striking out three and moving to 12-8 on the season. Esparza was charged with the loss for the Nittany Lions.
"When our pitching and defense are on, we can find a way to score," head coach Kim Maher said. "Our players were fired up and were intense throughout, from inning one to seven. It was like night and day from yesterday's game."
The Boilermakers (20-17, 1-1 Big Ten) return to action at noon Sunday when Ohio State comes to West Lafayette for a doubleheader.