Feb. 17, 2013
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Boilermaker softball team experienced a roller coaster of emotions on Saturday, splitting their two contests at the Hillenbrand Invitational. Purdue fell to No. 16 Arizona 5-4 as the Wildcats came back from a 4-3 deficit to win in the sixth inning. The Boilermakers bounced back from the heartbreak, downing Southern Utah 8-0 in five innings. Purdue (5-4) wraps up the tournament with a 1 p.m. ET game against Nebraska.
No. 16 Arizona 5, Purdue 4
The Boilermakers scored their four runs on nine hits, while allowing Arizona five runs on seven hits and an error. Sophomore Ashley Burkhardt led the offense, going 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored.
Shelby Babcock pitched the complete game victory for Arizona, while senior Erika Petruzzi, sophomore Alex Whittemore and freshman Lilly Fecho saw action in the circle for Purdue. Fecho was saddled with the loss, despite striking out two batters in the final two innings and allowing just one earned run.
Three batters into the game, the Boilers boasted a 2-0 lead. Junior Lindsey Rains led off the game by depositing a home run over the right field wall. Burkhardt followed by bouncing a double off the wall in left center. A wild pitch pushed Burkhardt to third, from which she scored on a grounder to the shortstop.
Arizona answered with three runs in the bottom of the first. Chelsea Goodacre tied the game with a two-run homer to left center. The Wildcats paired a walk and a double for a third score in the inning.
The Boilermakers put two runners in scoring position in the second, but could not score. Senior Maia Monchek was hit by a pitch to start the inning, then senior Ashley Courtney reached on a fielder's choice play at second base. Freshman CJ Parsons singled back to the pitcher. A ground ball moved the pair into scoring position, but another ground ball to the shortstop ended the stanza.
Burkhardt zipped a sharp single up the middle to start the third and was sacrificed to second. Freshman Paris Andrew joined her with a two-out walk. Monchek singled back to the pitcher to fill the bases. Senior Ashley Courtney came through in the clutch with a full-count single to shallow left field, plating two runs and putting Purdue up 4-3. Monchek was tagged out at third after the scores to end the inning.
Rains sent a two-out single up the first baseline in the fourth and swiped second, before being joined by Burkhardt, who reached on a four-pitch walk, but the Boilermakers could not add to their advantage.
Fecho took over in the circle with nobody out and a runner at first in the fifth and sat down the next three batters on two strikeouts and a pop up.
Freshman Mary Gooding posted a two-out single in the sixth and stole second, but the Boilermakers could not bring her home for an insurance score.
Arizona used three hits and an error to plate two runs in the sixth en route to the victory. Two singles and a sacrifice put runners at the corners with two outs. Estela Pinon came in to pinch hit for the Wildcats and supplied a single to center field to drive in the game-tying run. With runners at the corners again, pinch runner Alex Lavine stole second drawing a throw. After seeing a bobble on the catch, the lead runner broke for home. The Boilermakers appeared to have an out at the plate on the horizon, but an error on the catcher, accounted for the winning score. A ground out brought Purdue to the plate one last time.
Burkhardt registered her third hit of the game with a leadoff single through the right side in the seventh. She was sacrificed to second, but a pair of ground balls prevented a Boilermaker comeback.
Purdue 8, Southern Utah 0
The Boilermakers took out their frustrations on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds just 20 minutes later, jumping on SUU early and often en route to an 8-0, five-inning run-rule victory.
Purdue scored its eight runs on 10 hits, including a 3-for-3 effort by junior Andie Varsho, who also drove in three RBI and scored a run. SUU scattered three hits in the game.
Freshman Lilly Fecho (1-1) struck out two in the winning effort, while Danielle Axe (1-3), one of three SUU pitchers in the game, was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs in a third of an inning. Sophomore Lexy Moore finished off the game for Purdue, facing the final three batters.
After a 1-2-3 defensive inning, the Boilermakers poured on four runs on four hits in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Ashley Burkhardt drew a one-out walk and was joined on base by Varsho, who reached on a bunt single. Junior Danielle Fletcher put Purdue on the board, plating both with a double down the left field line. Freshman Paris Andrew singled and stole second to set the table for senior Maia Monchek, who delivered a two-RBI single to right center. The T-Birds switched pitchers and forced a fielder's choice and strikeout to get out of the inning.
Purdue tacked on a run in the second, combining a pair of hits by Rains and Varsho. Rains hit a sharp single to third base and went to second on a ground out. Varsho converted on the two-out RBI chance with a single into left field. Varsho was out on the play, trying to advance to second.
SUU snapped the no-hit bid with a pair of two-out singles in the third inning. A ground ball to third base kept the shutout intact. The Boilermakers avoided potential trouble again in the fourth, forcing the T-Birds to waste a two-out double.
It was a 7-0 ballgame after four innings as Purdue added two runs on three hits in the fourth. Freshmen CJ Parsons and Mary Gooding posted one out singles and Rains was hit by a pitch to fill the bases. A fielder's choice play at the plate accounted for the inning's second out. Varsho scored two with a clutch single to nudge the Boilermakers closer to the win. With runners at second and third after the play, Southern Utah brought in a new pitcher, who forced a foul out to end the stanza.
Moore took over in the circle to start the fifth inning and promptly sat down three Thunderbirds on two ground outs and a pop up.
The Boilermakers finished the game in the fifth inning thanks to some key pinch hitting/running efforts. Sophomore Alyssa Koorsen sent a leadoff single into left center and stole second, then junior Kristin Morgan was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Gabi Brown came in to pinch run for Koorsen at second and swiped third. Junior Tori Chiodo drew a walk to fill the bases. Junior Lauren Grant picked up the game-winning RBI with a grounder to the pitcher that allowed Brown to come home.