Feb. 9, 2007
STARKVILLE, Miss. - A three-run seventh inning rally was not enough to earn the Boilermaker softball team its first win of the season, as Purdue fell 6-5 to Mississippi State to wrap up Day 1 of the Bulldog Round Robin.
The Bulldogs took advantage of two Boilermaker miscues in the opening stanza to take a 1-0 lead. Chelsea Bramlett reached on an error by the second baseman, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error, before scoring on a Courtney Bures single.
The Boilermakers answered with a run on two hits and an error in the second inning. Senior DaQueta Johnson (Ontario, Calif.) led off with a single up the middle. Sophomore Alicia Spack (West Lafayette, Ind.) reached on a one-out fielder's choice, while pinch runner Amy Butcher (Decatur, Ind.) advanced to second on a fielding error by the second baseman. Sophomore Katie Mitchell (Crown Point, Ind.) took advantage of the RBI opportunity with a double to center field to drive in Butcher. Sophomore Kelly Miller (Indianapolis, Ind.) walked to load the bases, but Purdue could muster no more runs in the stanza.
MSU scored two runs on two hits and two errors in the top of the third. An error, a double and a ground ball accounted for the first run. A fielder's choice, a single and an error scored the other.
Purdue got one run back in the bottom of the third as junior Ashley Hall (Noblesville, Ind.) was walked by relief pitcher Kelsey Nurnberg, and scored. Hall went to second on a ground ball before scoring on a two-out single by freshman Jenna Alexander (Rancho Murieta, Calif.). Another ground ball left Alexander stranded.
Mississippi State pushed the lead to 6-2 with a run on two hits and an error in the fifth and two runs on three hits and two errors in the sixth.
The Boilermakers mounted their comeback effort in the seventh. Hall reached on a one-out fielder's choice, then stole second. Freshman Kelsey Haupert (Olympia, Wash.) walked to give Purdue two runners on with two outs. A wild pitch advanced both into scoring position for senior Catherine Zaworski (Prospect Heights, Ill.), who delivered with a two-run single through to left. Zaworski went to second on the play, then scored on an Alexander single through the left side. Spack drew a walk from reliever Sara Hickerson, putting the potential game-winning run on base, but a pop up ended the game.
Purdue scored five runs on nine hits, while Mississippi State managed six runs on 12 hits and seven Boilermaker errors. Alexander and sophomore Christina Trauger (Santa Rosa, Calif.) each posted two-hit outings.
Nurnberg earned the victory for MSU after pitching 4.2 innings of relief, while Hickerson earned the save after forcing the game's final out. Sophomore Ashley DiDomenico (Youngstown, Ohio) was saddled with the loss, despite striking out three and allowing just one earned run in the complete game effort.
The Boilermakers (0-2) look to break into the win column at 10 a.m. (CST) Saturday when they take on the Iowa State Cyclones (0-2).