Feb. 12, 2011
BATON ROUGE, La. - The Purdue softball team put up a valiant fight against No. 19 LSU, but couldn't manage the upset, falling 5-3 Saturday afternoon.
Purdue trailed 4-0 before mounting a comeback, including hits by freshman Andie Varsho, sophomores Ashley Courtney and Erika Petruzzi and junior Katie Hackney.
Rachele Fico (2-0) struck out 13 Boilermaker batters en route to the win. Petruzzi earned the decision in the circle for Purdue, striking out two in three innings in the loss. Hackney and senior Suzie Rzegocki saw relief work, each striking out one batter in just over an inning of work.
The Tigers struck first, converting a walk and two ground balls into a score. Simone Heyward drew a full-count leadoff walk and stole second, before advancing home on a pair of grounders to second base. Ashley Langoni picked up the RBI for LSU.
Sophomore Ashley Courtney was hit by a pitch with two outs in the second, but was left stranded by a strikeout.
LSU put a runner on second in the bottom of the inning with a single and a steal, but got caught by the Purdue defense in a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play. Petruzzi issued the K, while rookie catcher Danielle Fletcher gunned down the runner at third. Another strikeout wrapped up the inning.
The Tigers added three runs on four hits in the third, including a two-run home run by Anissa Young. An RBI single by Juliana Santos accounted for the other score. The Boilermaker defense did prevent a run by tossing out a potential stealer at third base before the home run.
Fletcher was hit by a pitch with two outs in the fourth, but again the Boilermaker offense was thwarted by a strikeout.
The Boilermakers broke the game open in the fifth, scoring three runs on four hits and an error. Courtney snapped Fico's no-hit bid with a leadoff single to left. Petruzzi roped a one-out single into right to give Purdue runners at the corners. Relief pitcher Katie Hackney put the Boilermakers on the board with a perfectly-placed RBI bunt single. With runners at the corners and two outs, freshman Andie Varsho looped a double into deep right field, driving in both Petruzzi and Hackney, before advancing to third on a throwing error by the second baseman. A strikeout ended the Purdue rally.
LSU got one run back in the fifth. Heyward drew a one-out walk against relief pitcher Suzie Rzegocki, then moved to second on a grounder to the pitcher. An Ashley Langoni single to second base scored the speedy Heyward before a fly ball capped the inning.
Both teams went down in order in the sixth bringing Purdue to the plate one final time. Unfortunately, the Boilermaker offense came up empty in the seventh.
Purdue (1-1) returns to action at 10 a.m. ET Sunday, when it faces the Bowling Green Falcons to start the final day of the LSU Tiger Classic.