April 15, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker softball team took advantage of timely hits and Crusader miscues in a 5-3 win over Valparaiso in Game 1 of Thursday's twin bill.
Purdue posted five runs on seven hits and four Valpo errors, while the Crusaders scored three runs on four hits and a Boilermaker miscues. Freshman Kristen Allen and junior Shelby Krammer each tallied two hits for the Purdue side.
Junior Suzie Rzegocki struck out eight batters in the complete game victory to move to 14-16 on the season, while Alex Lagesse was saddled with the loss for Valparaiso.
The Boilermakers offense was active in the opening stanza, parlaying a trio of hits and stolen bases into two runs. Senior Liane Horiuchi led off with a single up the middle and swiped second and third. Sophomore Molly Garst walked and rounded the corner to steal second. The steal prompted the pitcher to toss over to third to hold Horiuchi. The throw sailed wide, allowing Horiuchi to scurry home and Garst to wind up at third. Freshman Maia Monchek made it 2-0 with a single up the middle.
Purdue had another shot at a score in the inning as Allen bounced a single into shallow center field with two on, but Valparaiso tagged the lead runner out at the plate. Allen and Rzegocki, who was hit by a pitch, advanced to second and third on the throw home, but were left stranded by a pop up.
The Crusaders countered with a three-run home run by Lisa DeBruzzi in the second. The long ball came after a two-out single and a walk.
The Boilermakers tied it up in the fourth on an RBI triple that toed the right field line and rolled into the corner. Krammer supplied the three-bagger, which drove in senior Ashley Barr, who reached on a fielder's choice. A grounder to third base, however, kept Krammer from making home.
Purdue regained the lead in a bizarre fifth inning. A catcher's interference call, a hit batsman and an infield single packed the bases full of Boilermakers with two outs. The catcher's interference call nullified a ground out and put Monchek on first. Senior Jenna Alexander was then pegged before Rzegocki skipped a single off the glove of the third baseman. Another catcher's interference call, this time on a foul ball, put Allen aboard and plated a run. The play also resulted in the ejection of the Crusader pitcher, who apparently had some choice words after the catcher's interference call. New pitcher Shaleigh Jansen took over in the circle and prompted a pop up to wrap up the inning.
The Boilermakers tacked on an insurance run in the sixth, combining a hit and an error for the score. Krammer led off with a single through the left side. Pinch runner Kayla Yates was sacrificed over to second and went to third on a passed ball. Garst drew a two out walk and stole second to put two in scoring position. A fielding error by the pitcher allowed Yates to score.
Valparaiso made it interesting, putting two on with a one-out error and a walk in the seventh, but Rzegocki struck the final two batters out looking to cap the game. The Boilermakers will look to wrap up the series sweep in Game 2 of the twin bill.