March 6, 2009
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - The Bowling Green State Falcons nipped the Purdue softball team 6-5 in an eight-inning affair Friday afternoon. The loss came despite an eight-hit Boilermaker effort.
Bowling Green scored its seven runs on six hits and two Purdue errors, while the Boilermakers managed their five runs on eight hits. Three Boilermakers - seniors Candace Curtis and Katie Mitchell and junior Jenna Alexander - each posted two hits in the contest.
Melissa Bott (1-0) picked up the win for Bowling Green, allowing just one hit in three innings of relief. Senior Dana Alcocer (2-3) gave up just one earned run and struck out two in the complete game effort for Purdue.
The Falcons struck first, capitalizing on Purdue miscues for four runs in the opening stanza. A pair of errors and a walk loaded the bases for BGSU with two outs. A single to deep right center plated two runs. A passed ball and a single accounted for the other two.
The Boilermakers got two runs back on four hits in the bottom of the inning. Four-straight one out hits did the damage for Purdue. Curtis started things off with a one-out single through the right side. Sophomore Beth Cinadr followed with a double to left center. S Mitchell put the team on the board with a single through the left side. She then stole second, giving Purdue two runners in scoring position as Alexander stepped to the plate. Alexander picked up the RBI with a single to the shortstop. A passed ball gave the team runners at second and third again, but a strikeout and ground out prevented further scoring.
Purdue cut the deficit to one with a run on two hits in the third. Cinadr reached on a fielder's choice, then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice by Mitchell. Alexander then poked a seeing-eye single toward second base, driving in the run.
The Boilermakers jumped into the lead in the fifth inning as Mitchell sent a two-run shot over the center field wall. The long ball also scored junior Liane Horiuchi, who was on third after being hit by a pitch, stealing second and advancing on a fly ball.
Bowling Green tied it up on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Melissa West tripled off the center field wall to start the inning, before scoring on the fly ball. The Falcons then stranded two in scoring position.
Purdue tried to put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning as senior Kelly Miller laid down a bunt and Horiuchi was hit by pitch, but a towering pop up kept the Boilermakers from snapping the tie.
The Boilermakers advanced a runner to third in the bottom of the seventh, but could not score pushing the game to extra innings. Cinadr walked to start the stanza and was sacrificed to second. Pinch runner Molly Garst then went to third on a passed ball, but a pop up and fly out prevented her from scoring.
The top of the eighth brought the international tie breaker, which puts a runner on second to start the inning. The Falcons sacrificed their runner to third, then took the lead with a two-out single to left field. A pop up brought the Boilermakers to the plate.
Ashley Barr took second base to begin Purdue's half of the inning. A sacrifice pushed her to third. A ground ball brought the team to its last out. The game wrapped up on a controversial call as the Boilermakers were called for stepping out of the batters box on a hit for the final out.
The Boilermakers (7-5) look to rebound from the loss against Georgia Tech, in a contest scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.