April 28, 2013
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern softball team used a late rally to steal away a win from the Boilermakers on Sunday. Purdue held a 2-1 lead heading into the sixth, but fell 6-2 to the Wildcats.
Northwestern scored its six runs on 11 hits and an error, while allowing the Boilermakers two runs on five hits and an error. Freshman Paris Andrew went 2-for-2 on the day with a single, a walk and a two-run home run that gave Purdue its lone runs in the contest.
Amy Letourneau (19-10) struck out six in the win for the Wildcats, while sophomore Lexy Moore (10-13) issued three Ks in the loss. Freshman Lilly Fecho pitched to the final two NU batters, striking out one.
Junior Andie Varsho tallied the game's first hit with a two-out bunt single in the first, but was caught stealing to end the stanza.
Northwestern loaded the bases on a trio of walks in the bottom of the first, but a foul pop up erased the threat.
Andrew blasted a home run over the right field wall to give Purdue a 2-0 lead in the second. The long ball, her first of the season, scored junior Danielle Fletcher, who drew a leadoff walk and had advanced to third.
The Boilermakers loaded the bases in the third inning, but could not push a run across. Sophomore Ashley Burkhardt poked a two-out single into left field and Varsho and Fletcher drew walks, but a ground ball to the shortstop prevented a score.
The Wildcats combined two hits and a fielder's choice play for a run in the bottom of the third. A single and a double put two in scoring position, when a fielder's choice play at second base allowed the score.
Senior Maia Monchek and Andrew looped two-out singles into center field in the sixth, but a pop up kept them from coming home.
Northwestern broke the game open with five runs on six hits in the bottom of the sixth. The Wildcats had runners at first and third after two singles and a sacrifice, when a passed ball allowed the first score. The trail runner went to third on the miscue, setting up an RBI single. With two aboard after another single, a double by Letourneau pushed in two more runs and prompted a Purdue pitching change. Fecho entered the game and gave up an RBI single, which made it 6-2, before ending the Wildcat rally with a strikeout.
The Boilermakers (22-28, 8-12 Big Ten) wrap up the regular season Friday through Sunday, when they play host to the Iowa Hawkeyes. The team will celebrate Senior Day with a ceremony before Sunday's game.