March 2, 2007
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - Seven Boilermaker players combined for 10 hits as the Boilermaker softball team downed San Jose State 5-2 Friday afternoon. Sophomores Candace Curtis, Kelly Miller and Christina Trauger each posted two hits in the victory.
Junior Ashley Hall (Noblesville, Ind.) put the Boilermakers on the board in the opening stanza. Hall singled through the right side, then stole second and third, before swiping home on a double steal with Curtis (Danville, Calif.), who singled. The three steals ties a Purdue single-game record.
San Jose State answered with two runs on four hits in the bottom of the inning. A pair of singles, a wild pitch and a ground out put a pair of runners in scoring position for the Spartans. Two more singles drove in the runs giving SJSU a 2-1 lead.
Miller (Indianapolis, Ind.) led off the third with a bunt single, then moved to third on an illegal pitch and a fly ball. Sophomore Katie Mitchell (Crown Point, Ind.) took advantage of the two-out RBI opportunity by sending a home run over the left field wall. The round-tripper was the third of the season for Mitchell.
The Boilermakers tacked on another run on two hits in the fifth. Trauger (Santa Rosa, Calif.) reached on a bunt single, then rounded the bases on a sacrifice and a wild pitch, before scoring on a Curtis single down the left field line. The score prompted a Spartan pitching change before a strikeout ended the inning.
Senior DaQueta Johnson (Ontario, Calif.) added to the hit parade as she launched her first home run of the season to lead off the sixth inning. Senior Catherine Zaworski (Prospect Heights, Ill.) drew a two-out walk, then went to second a single by Trauger. A Miller single should have loaded the bases, but Zaworski was called out on a controversial interference play to stop the rally short.
SJSU threatened with a sixth-inning double, but the Purdue defense held strong.
Purdue loaded the bases in the seventh, but could not add to its 5-2 lead. Curtis walked, then freshman Ashley Barr sent a two-out single through the left side. Alexander drew a free pass to fill the bases, but a fly ball to left prevented a Boilermaker score.
Purdue scored five runs on 10 hits and an error, while San Jose State put up two runs on seven hits. Miller went 2-for-2 at the plate, while Trauger and Curtis also tacked on two hits.
Sophomore Ashley DiDomenico (Youngstown, Ohio) struck out two in the complete-game victory, while Nicole Luna-Pickens fell to 0-3 with the Spartan loss.
The Boilermakers return to action at 2 p.m. Saturday when they take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders.