Feb. 27, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Boilermaker offense jumped all over the Northern Illinois pitchers as the Purdue softball team registered a 9-1 run-rule shortened win over the Huskies on Saturday.
Purdue scored its nine runs on six hits, while allowing NIU a run on three hits. Sophomore Molly Garst and junior Suzie Rzegocki led the way with two hits apiece for the Boilermakers. Garst drove in four of the team's runs.
Rzegocki (3-5) struck out four in the winning effort in the circle, while NIU starter Whitney Owens was saddled with the loss after giving up five runs in the an inning of work.
The Boilermakers wasted no time flexing their offensive muscles, racking up three runs on two hits in the opening stanza. Senior Liane Horiuchi drew a leadoff walk and swiped second, before scoring on a triple to deep right field by Garst. Garst came home the following play as freshman Maia Monchek sent a single up the middle. Monchek was sacrificed over to second then took advantage of a pair of illegal pitches by Whitney Owens to make it 3-0. (Illegal pitches equal a ball on the batter and advance each base runner a base.)
Purdue continued its offensive barrage in the second inning. Rookie Kristen Allen drew a leadoff walk, then Rzegocki bounced a double off the right field wall, putting two in scoring position. An illegal pitch plated a run and put Rzegocki on third, while bringing in a new hurler for NIU. Monica Segura took over in the circle and forced a sacrifice fly, but that made it 5-0 Boilermakers.
The Huskies got their first base runner with a two-out walk in the second, but a fly ball ended the inning. NIU put a pair of hits together for a run in the third. A Dani Parish two-out double set up an RBI single by Andrea Colisimo to snap the shutout. Colisimo was caught stealing to wrap up the inning.
A trio of walks filled the basepaths with Boilermakers with two outs in the fourth. Garst stepped to the plate and delivered a bases clearing full-count double off the left field wall pushing the Purdue lead to 8-1. A fly ball to left kept Garst from coming around.
A snappy defensive double play nullified a fourth inning hit by NIU.
After a quiet fifth inning, the Boilermakers boosted their lead to eight runs with a run on two hits in the sixth. Rzegocki lasered a one-out single into left and was sacrificed to second. In her first official at-bat of the day, Horiuchi tattooed a triple off the center field wall, to account for the score. A beautiful sno-cone catch by the NIU left fielder prevented further damage.
A caught foul ball, a grounder and a fly in the bottom of the inning clinched the Boilermaker run-rule victory.
The Boilermakers (5-8) will face off against the Huskies at 11 a.m. Sunday to wrap up the team's stay in Louisville.