Team breaks six-game losing
streak
What began as a bad weekend ended with some success
for the Purdue softball team.
After a loss to Loyola Thursday and two losses
to Iowa Friday, the team swept a two-game series from Northwestern in
Evanston, Ill., Saturday and Sunday. The wins broke a six-game losing
streak for the Boilers.
Behind a dominating effort from junior pitcher
Meagan Dooley, the Boilermakers (29-21-1, 6-10 Big Ten) beat the Wildcats
(17-17, 6-8) 2-1.
"This just feels great," said Purdue coach Carol
Bruggeman. "Meagan Dooley was outstanding today on the mound. I am very
proud of her and her effort to come in and throw a one-hitter against
a good-hitting Northwestern team.
"A Big Ten sweep is just really nice to end the
weekend."
The Boilermakers played the day with excellent
defense, allowing only three Wildcat runners on base, one hit and one
run to score.
At the plate for Purdue, seniors Lynne Tortorelli
and Keely Povlitz tallied the game-winning RBI with each recording a
base hit to score sophomores Jesse Jones and Heidi Foster, who reached
on a fielder's choice and a base hit.
"It feels good to be able to step up and get our
team back on a roll," said Tortorelli. "Hopefully, we can continue this
through the rest of the Big Ten season."
On the mound, Dooley pitched the second one-hitter
of her career and her third complete game of the year to improve her
record to 8-6. Dooley walked no one and recorded two strike outs, facing
24 batters.
On Saturday, the Boilers defeated Northwestern
2-1.
"(Saturday) was just an outstanding win for our
team," said Bruggeman. "I am very proud of our team. We fought hard
the whole way and our relay at the end of the game was certainly one
of our most exciting plays of the year."
The Boilers started the game with a two-run homerun
by Foster in the top of the first inning. Going deep over the left center
wall, Foster tallied her second home run in two games and her seventh
of the season.
"I'm really glad that Katie (Crabtree) was able
to get on so that I could score here too," said Foster. "She just gave
me the right pitch — a change-up, just a little outside.
"Their pitcher wasn't afraid to go right at me
all day. She did a good job at doing her job. She kept us scoreless
for six innings. But Leighann did an excellent job today, and our defense
was very solid all day. We made several key outs and our outfield relays
were good too. In the end, we were able to get ourselves out of a bind
and there's no better way to end a game than the way we did (Saturday)."
On the mound for Purdue, Burke finished her ninth
complete game of the season, allowing six hits, one run and one walk,
while tallying three strikeouts.
On Friday, Purdue fell in doubleheader action in
Iowa City to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 7-1 and 5-4 in nine innings.
"The second game was a great effort by both teams,"
said Bruggeman. "It's too bad that a team had to lose. We had chances
to win many times and didn't. We have to start finding a way. I thought
that Heidi Foster had one of her best games of the year, going 4-4 with
a home run. It was a heartbreaking loss. You have to give Iowa credit
— they hung in there and kept playing away until they caught up
with us."
In the first game, the Boilermakers were able to
hold the Hawkeyes to only one run in the first inning. Purdue evened
the score in the third inning at 1-1. The score knotted at 1-1 until
the bottom of the fifth inning, when Purdue errors and Iowa hits combined
for a six run inning for the Hawkeyes.
On the mound for Purdue, sophomore Burke took the
loss to fall to 10-10, while pitching 4.1 innings. She allowed four
hits, three runs, three walks and struck out three. Dooley came in for
the relief, pitching 1.2 innings and allowing two hits, four runs and
one walk.
In the second game, the Hawkeyes stepped to the
plate and notched two runs in the top of the first inning on two hits.
But Purdue was determined to win, tallying four
of its own in the bottom of the same inning. The Hawkeyes would tie
it at four in the seventh.
Finally, first baseman Alicia Gerlach broke the
tie by sending a lead-off, one-run home run over the fence to take Iowa
up, 5-4.
Purdue wasn't able to score in the bottom of the
ninth.
The Boilermakers will return to the field on Wednesday,
when they host the Western Michigan Broncos for a doubleheader. Game
time is set for 2 p.m. at the Varsity Softball Complex.
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