April 27, 2013
EVANSTON, Ill. - Junior outfielder Lindsey Rains went 3-for-4 at the plate, but it was not enough to lift the Boilermakers softball team past Northwestern on Saturday. The Wildcats won the game 4-1 to take the season series.
Purdue avoided a shutout with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, but managed just that one run on eight hits, stranding six runners. Northwestern put up four runs on nine hits and one error.
Meghan Lamberth (9-5) struck out five in the complete-game win for the Wildcats, while sophomore Lexy Moore (10-12) struck out four batters in two and a third innings of work in the loss for Purdue. Freshman Lilly Fecho added three strikeouts in three and two thirds innings of relief work.
Rains led off the game with a single to left field, but was later caught stealing.
Northwestern combined a leadoff triple and a bunt single for a run in the bottom of the first.
Junior Danielle Fletcher got things started in the second, ripping a double up the left field line. Junior Tori Chiodo added a single and stole second to put two in scoring position for the Boilers, but a pair of fly balls and a nice play on a grounder up the middle kept Purdue off the scoreboard.
The Boilermakers got a hit and left a runner on again in the third. Rains supplied a one-out single. A fielder's choice force play at second put sophomore Ashley Burkhardt aboard and she promptly swiped second to move into scoring position, but a strikeout kept Purdue from capitalizing on the RBI chance.
Northwestern combined four hits for a pair of runs in the third. A leadoff infield single and a ground out set up the first score. Fecho took over in the circle and her first pitch was lifted for an RBI double. Two more singles followed to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead, but the Boilermaker defense forced NU to strand two runners.
Rains and junior Andie Varsho singled in the sixth, but the Boilermakers could not bring them home. Rains led off with a single to right and Varsho added a one-out bunt single, but a strikeout and fielder's choice ended the stanza.
The Wildcats took advantage of a walk, a single and a Boilermaker throwing error for a run in the sixth to go ahead 4-0. After issuing a one-out walk, a two-out infield single turned into more as a throwing error allowed the lead runner to score on the play.
Freshman Paris Andrew and senior Maia Monchek tallied back-to-back singles to start the seventh. A ground ball moved Andrew and pinch runner Sydney Pencek into scoring position. Junior Lauren Grant lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Andrew home to snap the shutout. A ground ball to second base capped the game, however, preventing a Boilermaker rally.
Purdue (22-27, 8-11 Big Ten) and Northwestern (27-18, 11-7 Big Ten) face off in the series finale at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.