WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue (7-22, 1-0 B1G) defeated Illinois (19-10, 0-1 B1G) 6-3 to kick off Big Ten play in its home opener at Bittinger Stadium. The offense came alive as eight different Boilermakers registered a hit to complement the effort in the circle by Kaitlynn Moody and Sydney Bates.
Moody forced 10 ground-ball outs in five innings of work in order to keep the Illini at bay and earn the victory. The junior transfer was eventually relieved in the sixth, allowing redshirt freshman Bates to come in and deliver two perfect innings to record her second career save.
Jenny Behan led the Boilermakers with three runs batted in on the night thanks to a two-run homer in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the first. The junior transfer finished the game with a walk and a pair of runs scored as well. Her home run followed a solo shot by Mallory Baker who went 1-for-3 with a walk.
In fact, all of Purdue's six hits were scored by the top four hitters in the lineup. Freshman Ryleigh Scott walked twice and scored twice while Alexa Binckes finished 1-for-1 with a walk and a run scored.
Freshman Siena Wagner picked up an RBI as well as she went 2-for-3 in the six spot for the Boilermakers. She was the only Boilermaker to register multiple hits in the contest. The rest of Purdue's nine hits came from Halle Hixenbaugh, Stephanie Ramsey, Morgan Cavinder and Rachel Krzysko. Binckes, Hixenbaugh and Wagner were all hit by a pitch as well.
Purdue is back in action at Bittinger Stadium against the Illini in a doubleheader Friday. First pitch for game one is slated for 4 p.m. ET with game two beginning at 6 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one.
