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CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - Purdue fights off a tough UCSB team to win game one of the Mary Nutter Classic.
In the first game of the Mary Nutter Classic the Boilermakers defeated UC Santa Barbara 6-4 after a game deciding four run fifth inning.
Maddie Damon earned her second win of the season inside the circle after scattering six hits while giving up only two runs to the Gauchos. After both teams scored a run in the second inning, UC Santa Barbara took the lead in the third after a double to the left field fence from Alyssa Diaz.
The momentum would then change in favor of the Boilermakers in the bottom of the fourth as the game was tied at two. With a UCSB runner on first, Kayla Krantz laid down a sacrifice bunt towards Damon but after a miscommunication between Damon, Hampton and Peltz the runner on first, Jacqueline Hinojosa, was able to advance an extra base to third. This set up a perfect scoring situation with runners on the corners for the Gauchos but Damon would however work her way out of the jam striking out the next batter and then getting the leadoff batter Kristen Clark to pop up to end the inning.
Purdue would ride the momentum from the fourth and strike in the top half of the fifth off of the bat of Mallory Baker. Maya Hughes reached on an error with one out, stole second and then was waved around third after Baker hit a line drive single right back up the middle. It was barrage of hits that followed as Kaylah Hampton approached with bases loaded and sent a fly ball over the left fielder's head which brought around two more runs. A two out RBI from Ramsey would cap off the inning with four runs in all crossing the plate.
UCSB would manage to get one run in each of the fifth and sixth innings but could not strand enough hits together to start a rally off of Katie Johnson who replaced Maddie Damon in the bottom of the fifth inning. Johnson finished the game throwing three complete innings surrendering only one run.
Kaylah Hampton led the way for the Boilermakers going 2-3 with three RBI's while Kristen Hoppman continued her hot start to the season adding two more hits on the day moving her average to .364.
The second game of the Mary Nutter Classic is set to take place against the ninth ranked Arizona Wildcats tonight at 11 p.m. ET and can be viewed via FloSoftball.com.
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