April 29, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With a 2-1 victory over Penn State in Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader, the Boilermaker softball team did something it hadn't done since 1997, take two games in a season from the Nittany Lions. Purdue picked up the series sweep with the victory after posting a 1-0 win in Game 1.
Penn State left two runners on after posting two hits in the opening stanza.
Sophomore Candace Curtis (Danville, Calif.) gave Purdue its first hit with a solo home run to left in the bottom of the inning.
Senior Catherine Zaworski (Prospect Heights, Ill.) tallied a two-out single in the second, but could not add to its lead.
The Nittany Lions tied the score in the fourth with a run on two hits and an error. Kayce Zielinski posted a two-out single. Hollee Haines followed with a single to center field. Zielinski went to second on the play and scored on a fielding error by the center fielder.
Senior DaQueta Johnson (Ontario, Calif.) hit a one-out single to right field to give Purdue a base runner in the fourth. Pinch runner Christina Trauger (Santa Rosa, Calif.) went to second on a sacrifice, but was left stranded by a ground ball to second base.
Penn State threatened in the fifth putting a runner on third with a hit, a sacrifice and a ground out, but could not bring her home.
Sophomore Kelly Miller (Indianapolis, Ind.) lofted a two-out single over the shortstop's head in the fifth and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but could not score.
The Boilermakers regained the lead on a hit, a sacrifice, an intentional walk and a wild pitch in the sixth. Junior Ashley Hall (Noblesville, Ind.) led off with a double to left center. A sacrifice pushed her to third. The Nittany Lions looked to intentionally walk Johnson, but the fourth ball of the walk sailed to the backstop, allowing Hall to score. Johnson went to second on the play. A fly out moved Johnson to third, but a ground ball to the shortstop ended the inning.
Meghan Wolfer laid down a two-out bunt in the seventh to keep hope alive for Penn State, but a ground ball to third base sealed the Purdue sweep.
Purdue scored two runs on five hits, while allowing Penn State one run on seven hits. Five different Boilermakers accounted for the team's hits.
Senior Brooke Baker (Schererville, Ind.) struck out four in the complete-game victory. Ashley Esparza dropped to 11-11 on the season with the complete-game effort for Penn State.
The Boilermakers (30-31-1, 8-9 Big Ten) return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday, when they take on Indiana on Senior Day.