Feb. 21, 2010
HOUSTON - The Boilermakers put a fight against No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette, but came up just shy, winding up the short end of a 7-6 score. Trailing 7-4 after five innings, Purdue got two runs back in the sixth and put the tying run on base in the seventh, but could not complete the comeback bid.
ULL scored seven runs on seven hits and an error, while the Boilermakers managed six runs on seven hits and two errors. Junior Ashley Barr and senior Liz Allum each tallied two hits in the contest.
Brittany Cuevas (5-0) picked up the win for the Ragin' Cajuns, while junior Suzie Rzegocki struck out eight in the complete game effort for Purdue.
The Boilermakers plated three runs on three hits and two UL errors in the second to snap the scoreless tie. Senior Jenna Alexander drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a ground ball. Barr dropped a double into shallow center field, giving Purdue two runners in scoring position. A passed ball brought Alexander in to score. Rookie Maia Monchek reached on a fielding error by the shortstop putting runners at the corners. Monchek attempted to steal second and the second baseman booted the ball into right field, allowing Barr to scurry home on the play. Allum poked a single into right field, then senior Liane Horiuchi drove in the third run with a double off the right center wall. A grounder to the second baseman stranded two.
The Ragin' Cajuns registered an infield single in the third, but broke through into the scoring column on a one-out solo home run by Christi Orgeron in the fourth.
Purdue countered with a long ball of its own. Senior Liz Allum did the honors, sending a two-out shot over the left field wall in the bottom of the fourth. It was the College Station, Texas, native's third round-tripper in as many days.
ULL broke the game open with a six-run fifth inning, plating all six on five two-out hits. The Ragin' Cajuns led off the inning with a walk and another free pass followed with two outs, before the offensive barrage began. A single to left brought in the first run. A double plated two more. Another double gave ULL the lead, then a two-run shot by Lana Bowers brought it 7-4. A single followed before a strikeout ended the inning.
Freshman Erika Petruzzi managed a single to left in the fifth inning, but the Boilermakers were unable to bring her home.
The Boilermakers cut the margin to one with two runs on a hit in the sixth. Alexander drew a leadoff walk. Pinch runner Aimee Gingerich came home as Barr tripled up the left field line. Barr scored on a Monchek grounder to the shortstop the following play.
ULL went down in order in the seventh, giving Purdue one final shot. Sophomore Molly Garst hit a one-out single to left center to put the game-tying run aboard. She then stole second, but a strikeout and a grounder to first wrapped up the contest.
The Boilermakers (3-7) return to action on Friday when they travel to Louisville, Ky., for the Cardinal Classic.