March 13, 2012
FRESNO, Calif. - The Boilermaker softball team regained its stroke at the plate and rode a strong pitching effort by senior Katie Hackney in a 3-0 win over Butler Tuesday afternoon.
Purdue racked up its three runs on nine hits and two Bulldog miscues, while allowing just four hits in the contest. Senior Molly Garst led the way at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort, while sophomore Andie Varsho chipped in two hits.
Hackney (2-1) struck out five in the complete-game victory. Leah Bry (2-6) was saddled with the loss for the Bulldogs, giving up three runs on eight hits in the first three and two thirds innings. Breanna Fisher allowed just one hit in three and a third innings of relief work. l
The Boilermakers put runners at the corners with one out in the second, but could not push a run across. Garst got things started in the inning with a leadoff double to the left center gap. A fielding error by the shortstop put junior Maia Monchek aboard and moved Garst to third. Both were left stranded, however, by a strikeout and ground ball to second base.
Purdue broke onto the scoreboard with a run on three hits in the third. Varsho and sophomore Danielle Fletcher reached on singles through the left side. Garst lifted a double into right center, which bounced over the short fence for a ground rule variety hit. Varsho scored on the play, but Fletcher was stopped at third. A ground ball in the infield prevented the Boilermakers from adding to the 1-0 lead.
The Boilermakers combined four straight two-out hits for a pair of runs in the fourth. Freshman Ashley Burkhardt and junior Erika Petruzzi set the table for the scores with singles. Sophomore Lindsey Rains lifted a single to shallow left to drive Burkhardt home from third. With runners at first and third, Varsho squeaked a double inside the left field line to plate Petruzzi. The hit prompted a Butler pitching change as Bre Fisher took over in the circle and forced a fly out to escape the inning without further damage.
Junior Ashley Courtney drew one-out walk in the fifth and advanced to second on a passed ball, but the Boilermakers could not bring her home.
Varsho drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a Garst single to right center. A fielder's choice play at third base put Courtney aboard. Pinch hitter Gabi Brown reached on a throwing error by the shortstop to load the bases, but a high fly ball to right prevented Purdue from capitalizing.
Butler put a runner on base in every inning but the fourth, but managed to advance her to second base in just the seventh inning, when the team posted back-to-back singles to start the stanza. A leadoff single up the middle and a single that landed just inside the left field line gave the Bulldogs their first RBI opportunity of the day, but a pair of pop ups and Hackney's fifth strikeout kept the shutout intact.
The Boilermakers (13-6) return to action at 11 p.m. ET when they take on Fresno State for the last of six games in Fresno.