Feb. 11, 2007
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Purdue softball team scored first in its final contest of the Bulldog Round Robin tournament, but was unable to hold off the Mississippi State bats. The Bulldogs won the game 8-1 en route to the tournament title.
Purdue took an early lead as junior Ashley Hall (Noblesville, Ind.) singled and scored in the opening stanza. Hall stole second and went to third on a fielder's choice, before scoring as the Mississippi State catcher tried to pick her off and sent the throw into left field.
MSU tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. Chelsea Bramlett lead off with a single and stole second. A sacrifice sent her to third, before a Courtney Bures sacrifice fly brought her home.
The Boilermakers put up a pair of hits in the second inning against relief pitcher Kelli Miller, but were unable to score. Sophomore Candace Curtis (Danville, Calif.) and freshman Ashley Barr (Meridian, Idaho) accounted for the base hits.
The Bulldogs took the lead in the third. With two outs and a runner at second, Courtney Bures hit an RBI single to right center. A wild pitch sent her to second, before Sammie Jo Bailey doubled to left field to make it 3-1 MSU.
Mississippi State broke the game open in the fourth, scoring four runs on two hits and a Boilermaker error. A single and two walks loaded the bases. Bures cleared the bases with a triple to right center, but scored on the play after an errant throw toward third base.
Sophomore Alicia Spack (West Lafayette, Ind.) sent a one-out single up the middle to give Purdue a base runner in the sixth, but a fielder's choice and ground ball kept Purdue off the scoreboard.
Hayle Guess made it 8-1 Bulldogs as she sent a home run over the left field wall to start the home half of the sixth.
The Boilermakers went down in order in the seventh to wrap up the game.
Purdue scored one run on five hits and left six runners on base in the contest, while Mississippi State managed eight runs on eight hits and four Boilermaker miscues.
Kelli Miller earned the win for MSU after tossing six innings of relief, while senior Brooke Baker (Schererville, Ind.) suffered the loss, despite striking out two in the complete game effort.
Junior Ashley Hall and freshman Kelsey Haupert (Olympia, Wash.) were named to the 11 person all-tournament team for their performances at the Round Robin. Haupert batted .467 for the tournament including a 4-for-4 effort against Kennesaw State, while Hall posted a .353 average, including two RBI, six runs and a 4-for-4 effort on the base paths.
The Boilermakers return to action on Friday when they take on Iowa State at the Ragin Cajun Invitational in Lafayette, La.