March 10, 2012
FRESNO, Calif. - The Boilermaker softball team will look to Day 2 of the Bayer Cropscience Classic for its first victory of the tournament as host Fresno State topped Purdue 6-1 Saturday night.
Fresno State managed six runs on 10 hits and four errors, while allowing Purdue a run on three hits and an error. Sophomores Lindsey Rains and Danielle Fletcher and freshman Ashley Burkhardt tallied the hits for the Boilermakers.
Michelle Moses (8-6) earned the complete game victory for the Bulldogs, while freshman Lexy Moore (7-2) was saddled with the loss for Purdue. Junior Erika Petruzzi also saw action for the Boilermakers, striking out one in four and two thirds innings of relief work.
Both teams stranded a runner in the first inning. The Boilermakers left Rains on third base, while Fresno State wasted a one-out single. Rains drew a leadoff walk, stole second and stood on third after a fly out. A fly ball to the right field warning track accounted for the final Purdue out.
The Bulldogs plated two runs on three hits in the second. A hit batsman and single gave FSU runners, then a sacrifice moved them into scoring position. A single and a double followed to bring in the runs. Purdue switched pitchers after the scores, bringing in Petruzzi, who promptly forced two fly outs to escape the inning.
The Boilermakers got one run back in the third, combining two hits and an error. Burkhardt led off with a single up the middle and went to second on an errant throw by the pitcher, which put sophomore Tori Chiodo aboard on the fielder's choice. Rains shot a single up the middle, which ricocheted off the pitcher and second baseman on its way through, to bring Burkhardt home. A double play and grounder to the pitcher kept Purdue from adding more runs.
Fresno State loaded the bases in the third, but managed just one run. A single, an error and a walk filled the bases. A wild pitch with two outs allowed the score. The following pitch brought a full-count strikeout to end the stanza.
The Boilermaker defense squelched a Fresno State scoring chance in the fourth. Two singles and a sacrifice put runners at second and third with one out. A fielder's choice play at the plate and a pop up kept the score at 3-1 Bulldogs.
Purdue put a runner on in the fourth, fifth and sixth, but could not score. In the fourth, a double play nullified Fletcher's leadoff walk. In the fifth, senior Molly Garst drew a lead off free pass and stole second, but two fly outs and a strikeout stranded her. In the sixth, Fletcher reached with a two-out single up the right field line, but a fly ball kept Purdue from capitalizing.
A three-run home run by the Bulldogs' leading hitter Stesha Brazil put Fresno State up 6-1 in the sixth. The long ball followed a double and single which started the inning.
Garst picked up a one-out walk in the seventh for Purdue, but a double play capped the game.
The Boilermakers (11-5) return to action at 11:45 a.m. ET Sunday when they take on San Diego State.