March 21, 2010
FULLERTON, Calif. - The Boilermaker softball team held off the defending national champion and No. 1 ranked Washington Huskies for four innings, but fell to UW 12-4 in six innings Sunday afternoon to wrap up the Judi Garman Classic.
Washington scored 12 runs on 10 hits and two Purdue errors, while the Boilermakers managed four runs on three hits and one Husky miscue. Senior Liane Horiuchi was 2-for-2 at the plate for Purdue, including a two-run homer. Senior Jenna Alexander added the third hit for the Boilermakers.
Danielle Lawrie (17-0) earned the complete game victory, while freshman Erika Petruzzi (3-3) was saddled with the loss, striking out one in five innings of work. Sophomore Katie Hackney issued two Ks in her inning of relief work.
Horiuchi singled to right to kick off the bottom of the first. She stole second before begin joined on base by Petruzzi, who was pegged on the elbow. The pair pulled off a double steal, moving into scoring position, but the next batter lined into a double play to prevent the team from capitalizing.
Washington scored a run on a hit and an error in the third to break the scoreless tie. Amanda Fleischman reached on a throwing error by the third baseman and went to second on the play. Jenn Salling supplied a two-out RBI single to center field to put UW on the board.
Purdue answered with two runs on a hit and an error in the bottom of the inning. Junior Aimee Gingerich reached on fielding error by the pitcher to start the stanza. A sacrifice pushed her to second, from which she scored as Horiuchi teed off on a long ball to left field.
The Huskies broke the game open with seven runs on six hits in the fifth. Salling followed a pair of singles and a pop up with a three-run shot to center field. A pair of two out walks and a single set the table for Taylor Smith's grand slam. A double and a walk followed, but a fly ball to center field capped the inning.
Washington tacked on four more runs on two hits in the sixth to put the game out of reach. Two walks and a single brought Smith to the plate and again she delivered with a grand slam. A pop up ended the inning and brought the Boilermakers to the plate one final time.
Horiuchi drew a leadoff walk and sophomore Molly Garst was hit by a pitch to start the Boilermaker half of the sixth. The pair attempted to pull off the double steal, but Horiuchi was tagged out at third, snapping a string of 63 consecutive steals for the senior. Garst went to second on the putout. Alexander brought her home with a two-run shot to left field. A grounder to the shortstop ended the Boilermaker comeback bid.
Purdue (11-16) returns to action at 3 p.m. Wednesday when it takes on Miami (Ohio) in a home-opening doubleheader.