March 9, 2008
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Boilermaker softball team picked up its 15th win of the season due to a balanced offensive effort in which seven different Purdue batters posted hits. With the 6-4 victory over Long Island, the Boilermakers wrap up their stay at the Under Armour Invitational with a 4-1 mark.
Purdue posted its six runs on 10 hits, while LIU managed four runs on seven hits. Junior Katie Mitchell led the way for Purdue with a 3-for-4 effort. Sophomore Kelsey Haupert also tallied multiple hits in the contest, going 2-for-4 at the plate.
Junior Dana Alcocer (10-4) garnered the win for Purdue after striking out three and allowing just three hits in four and two thirds innnings of relief work. Starter Suzie Rzegocki struck out two Blackbirds in the opening two plus innings. Jenny Giles was charged with the loss for LIU.
The Boilermakers combined three singles in the opening stanza to get onto the scoreboard. Sophomore Ashley Barr reached on a bunt single. Junior Candace Curtis followed with a hit that dropped into shallow center field surrounded by LIU players. Haupert found a spot in short left field for her two-out RBI base knock, which scored Barr from second base. A grounder left two Boilermakers stranded.
Long Island threatened to tie it up in the bottom of the inning, putting a runner on third after a single and two sacrifices, but a ground ball to short kept the Blackbirds off the scoreboard.
A mixed bag provided the Boilermakers three runs in the third. Freshman Beth Cinadr led off with an infield single, then Barr was walked. A sacrifice put both in scoring position for Mitchell, who delivered with a single through the right side, bringing both home. Haupert singled to left and sophomore Jenna Alexander reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. A wild pitch advanced the runners, pushing Mitchell across the plate. A two-out walk put junior Christina Trauger on, filling the bags once again, but the Boilermakers would not add any more runs in the stanza.
A few Purdue breakdowns in the bottom of the third allowed the Blackbirds back into the game. LIU scored four runs on four hits and a Purdue miscue in the stanza. With runners at first and second with no outs, Brittany Murphy put a single through the middle infield. The runners advanced to second and third on the play, but the Boilermaker shortstop was called for obstruction, allowing the runner at third to score. A walk loaded the bases, prompting a pitching change as junior Dana Alcocer took over for freshman Suzie Rzegocki. A single to left brought in one run, then a walk scored another. A ground ball to the pitcher allowed the Blackbirds to tie it up. A bases loaded strikeout finally got Purdue out of the inning.
The Boilermakers made LIU pay for a issuing Cinadr a lead off walk in the fourth. She was sacrificed to second, then came home on single to center field by Mitchell to put Purdue up 5-4.
A fielding error by the shortstop gave Purdue a baserunner to start the fifth and the Boilermakers once again capitalized on the LIU gift. Haupert reached via the miscue and advanced to second on a sacrifice, before Rzegocki brought her in with a single up the middle.
Mitchell doubled to center in the sixth, but was left stranded.
The Boilermakers (15-6) return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Jacksonville, Fla., to take on the Jacksonville University Dolphins.