Feb. 24, 2012
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Boilermaker softball team scored 22 runs and rapped out 22 hits in a pair of victories on Day 1 of the Frost Classic. Purdue downed Belmont 10-1 and UT-Martin 12-5 to move to 6-0 on the year.
Sophomore Andie Varsho went 6-for-8 on the day, with a double and a triple. Sophomore Danielle Fletcher added four hits and four RBI, while sophomore Tori Chiodo and senior Molly Garst registered three hits apiece.
Freshmen Alex Whittemore and Lexy Moore picked up complete game victories in the circle, striking out a combined nine batters in 13 innings.
Purdue 10, Belmont 1
The Boilermakers scored in five runs in the first two innings and added two more in the final two stanzas of a 10-1 mercy rule win over Belmont.
Senior Molly Garst went 3-for-3 with a walk, while sophomore Andie Varsho added three hits as Purdue scored 10 runs on 12 hits and an error. The Boilermakers allowed the Bruins one run on two hits.
Purdue wasted no time taking advantage of Belmont starting pitcher Becca Gift. A trio of walks and a pair of wild pitches filled the bases with nobody out. Sophomore Danielle Fletcher put the Boilermakers on the board with a one-out single through the left side. A fielder's choice play at the plate made it two outs, but left the bases full for junior Ashley Courtney, who picked up an RBI walk. Sophomore Lauren Grant did the same, making it 3-0 before a ground out capped the inning.
A fielding error gave Belmont its first base runner, but she was caught trying to steal second to nullify the miscue and end the stanza.
The Boilermakers tacked on two more runs on three hits in the second. Garst led off with a single and stole second, setting up Varsho's RBI triply to left center. Junior Erika Petruzzi drew a walk and rounded for second. Varsho got caught in a run down between third and home allowing Petruzzi to advance all the way to third before the end of the play. Sophomore Lindsey Rains plated Petruzzi with a single through the left side. A fielder's choice put two on for Purdue sparking a Belmont pitching switch. A passed ball moved the runners to second and third, but a grounder to second kept the Boilermakers from adding to the 5-0 lead.
A single and an error gave the Bruins a runner in scoring position in the second, but the team couldn't take advantage of the opportunity.
The Boilermakers stranded two in the third as Garst and Varsho both singled.
Belmont snapped the shutout bid in the third combining two walks and a two-out single for a score.
Purdue got the run back on two hits in the fifth, combining singles by sophomore Tori Chiodo and Varsho. Chiodo single to short and went to second as Garst was hit by a pitch, before coming home on Varsho's single to left.
The Bruins stranded two runners in the fifth after a pair of walks.
The Boilermakers capped the scoring, exploding for four runs on four hits and an error in the sixth. Grant drove in the first two with a double to right center, scoring pinch runner MaryBeth Pavlick and freshman Gabi Brown, who reached on an error and a single up the middle. Chiodo followed with a single and went to second on the throw as Grant went to third. Garst plated both with a double to left center.
Belmont put two on with walks, but a pop up and ground out ended the game early via mercy rule.
Purdue 12, UT-Martin 5
The Boilermakers moved to 6-0 on the year with another strong offensive effort, featuring 12 runs on 10 hits and four errors, including three-hit performances by sophomores Andie Varsho and Danielle Fletcher.
Freshman Lexy Moore went the distance, picking up her fourth win of the season, while allowing five runs on nine hits and five errors.
Purdue stranded a runner at third in the opening stanza and left the bases full in the second, failing to take advantage of four walks. The Boilermakers forced the Skyhawks to strand three in the two stanzas as well after an error, a single and two walks.
A three-run, three-hit third inning jump started the offense. Varsho singled and stole second, then junior Erika Petruzzi did the same. Varsho scored from third as a fielding error by the first baseman put sophomore Lindsey Rains on base. Rains swiped second and Fletcher filled the spot at first as she was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch with bases loaded brought Petruzzi home. Junior Ashley Courtney walked to fill the bases again for sophomore Tori Chiodo, who delivered an RBI single through the left side. Rains scored, but Fletcher was called out in a close play at the plate to end the inning.
UT-Martin answered with two runs on two hits and two errors in the bottom of the inning. A fielding error and a single put two on and a grounder bumped them into scoring position. Katie Reiff singled to right to score both unearned runs.
Purdue made it 7-2 with four runs in the fourth. Fletcher singled through the left side with runners at second and third resulting in two runs, the last of which came on a fielding error by the second baseman on the back end of the play. Freshman Gabi Brown reached on an error by the first baseman, plating Fletcher. Brown stole second and then scored on a double to left center by junior Ashley Courtney.
The Skyhawks switched pitchers midway through the fifth and allowed a walk, but kept Purdue off the scoreboard. UT-Martin then wasted a double in the fifth after a foul out and grounder to the pitcher.
Fletcher singled to start the sixth and pinch runner MaryBeth Pavlick, who took her spot at first, eventually rounded the bases to score in the stanza. Pavlick stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.
The Boilermakers piled on four insurance runs on three hits and an error in the seventh. Freshman Alyssa Koorsen got things started with her first collegiate hit, a leadoff single to left. A fielding error put Garst aboard and pushed Koorsen to second, from which she scored on a Varsho double to left field. A Peturzzi walk loaded the bases for Rains, who reached on a fielder's choice out at second base. Garst scored on the putout. Fletcher brought in Rains and Varsho with a double to right center. A ground out and fly out left Fletcher at third to cap the stanza and bring UT-Martin to bat one final time.
The Skyhawks would not go down without a fight, scoring three runs on four hits and two errors to prolong the game. A Leah Taylor triple to right center accounted for all three runs. The hit plated runners from first and second, but also allowed Taylor to score on an errant throw to third base. A single and a fielding error put two more runners on base, but a fly ball to center field clinched the Purdue victory.