Feb. 16, 2007
LAFAYETTE, La. - The offensive firepower of No. 17 Baylor proved to be too much for the Boilermaker softball team Friday evening as the ranked Bears handed Purdue a 10-2 loss.
The Boilermakers put two on in the opening stanza, but could not score. Junior Ashley Hall (Noblesville, Ind.) drew a lead-off walk, then advanced to second on a one-out single up the middle by freshman Kelsey Haupert (Olympia, Wash.), but a double play brought the Bears to bat.
Baylor broke the game open with six runs on six hits in the bottom of the inning. A pair of walks and a single loaded the bases with one out. Singles by Brette Reagan and Kirsten Shortridge gave the Bears a 2-0 lead. A Kelsey Sage grand slam cleared the bases and put Baylor up by six.
Purdue got one run back in the second as a fielding error by the second baseman allowed sophomore Katie Mitchell (Crown Point, Ind.) to score. Mitchell singled through the right side and stole second before taking advantage of the two-base fielding error which sent the ball into right center. Senior Erika Peterson (Irvine, Calif.) also singled in the inning.
A second-inning triple by Shortridge made it 7-1. The Bears then combined a pair of two-out extra base hits for another run in the third.
A little bit of everything gave Purdue a run in the top of the fourth. Peterson walked to start the inning, then advanced around the bases on a wild pitch, a single by Mitchell and a fielding error by the second baseman.
Baylor took advantage of a leadoff walk in the fourth, combining it with a pair of singles and a ground ball to take a 9-2 advantage.
The Bears sealed the run-rule win as an Ashley Monceaux double up the middle plated Brittany Turner, who reached on an error and was sacrificed to second.
Purdue scored two runs on five hits, while Baylor put up 10 runs on 12 hits. Mitchell led the Boilermaker bats with a 2-for-2 outing.
Monceaux (2-0) earned the win for Baylor after tossing four innings, while senior Brooke Baker (Schererville, Ind.) was saddled with the loss for Purdue.
The Boilermakers (1-6) look to rebound when they take on No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette at 11:30 a.m. (CST) on Saturday.