WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue (10-27, 3-5 B1G) takes the series against Northwestern (22-13, 5-5 B1G) with back-to-back victories over the Wildcats. Jenny Behan and Sydney Bates led the Boilermakers in the 6-3 victory at Bittinger Stadium.
Behan drove in four of Purdue's six runs with a pair of two-run home runs, making her the 25th Boilermaker in program history to register two home runs in a game. The junior transfer added a walk to her 2-for-3 day at the plate as well. Now with five hits in seven at-bats, two doubles, two home runs and a walk in the series, Behan enters the finale against the Wildcats with a .304 batting average, a .608 slugging percentage and a .407 on-base percentage on the year.
Redshirt freshman Bates went the distance for the sixth time this season to earn the victory against one of the year's best Big Ten offenses. She allowed just two earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five batters in the contest. She's given up just three earned runs or less in 11 of her last 12 outings. Her one game in which she allowed more than three runs in the game was when she gave up six runs fueled by a grand slam against Michigan. In that span she has a 3.78 ERA over the course of 46.1 innings.
Ryleigh Scott matched Behan with two hits on the day as the freshman went 2-for-2 with a walk, a sacrifice and a stolen base. She also scored two runs, giving her four in the series. Maya Hughes and Madison Douglass each contributed runs as well in pinch runner roles while Alexa Binckes, Halle Hixenbaugh and Lexi Huffman contributed the other three of Purdue's seven hits on the day.
Purdue and Northwestern are back in action at Bittinger Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The Boilermakers will fight to hand Northwestern its first sweep of the season. The Wildcats have not lost three games in a row in 2018.
