WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- A strong pitching effort by sophomore Gina Snyder led the Boilermakers to their 1-0 victory over Illinois Saturday afternoon. Snyder allowed only three hits on the day and struck out four.
Purdue had two hits in the game, one each by senior CJ Parsons and freshman Emily Kenny, and scored once in the sixth inning for the sole run of the day.
Snyder (5-4) picked up the win, tossing four strikeouts in six and a third innings of work. Senior Lilly Fecho issued the final two outs via strikeout en route to the save, her third of the season. Breanna Wonderly (9-8) struck out one in the complete-game effort for Illinois.
The Boilermakers and Fighting Illini played to a stalemate through three innings, a result of solid pitching on both sides.
Illinois broke the silence in the fourth, putting two aboard with singles and moving them into scoring position with a wild pitch, but Snyder shut down their chance for a run, forcing the next batter to strikeout.
Senior Katie Harrison was Purdue's first base runner of the game after drawing a two-out walk in the bottom of the fourth, but pinch runner Morgan Cavinder was left aboard when a caught foul ball ended the inning.
Parsons notched Purdue's first hit during the fifth inning, after Andrew was hit by a pitch with two away. A strikeout kept the Boilermakers off the scoreboard.
Purdue broke the scoreless tie in the sixth. Senior Mary Gooding was hit by a pitch with one out and took second on a wild pitch, setting the table for pinch hitter Emily Kenny, who bounced a triple off the center field wall to pick up the RBI. A fly ball to centerfield kept Kenny from coming home.
A hit batsman and a double put two in scoring position for Illinois, but Fecho came in and registered two strikeouts to close the game.
Purdue (24-19, 6-7 B1G) will face Illinois to decide the series at noon Sunday.