Rutgers softball drops 2 of 3 in road series against Purdue
The Rutgers softball team dropped its first road conference series of the season this weekend against Purdue. The Scarlet Knights (21-15, 3-3) won the series' opening game and proceeded to drop both games of a Saturday doubleheader to the Boilermakers (14-18, 2-4).
Game One
Rutgers wasted no time opening up the scoring in game one of this three-game set. The Knights worked two walks and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases, bringing up senior outfielder Kayla Bock to the plate. Bock worked a walk, as senior shortstop Kyleigh Sand would come across to score.
Purdue answered back with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Khloe Banks laced a double to left field, and the game was knotted at 1-1.
The contest remained deadlocked until the top of the seventh inning when Rutgers broke the game open. Senior pitcher and outfielder Morgan Smith opened the inning with a single to center and later came around to score on a fielder's choice. The Knights led 5-1 after the top of the seventh.
On the mound for Rutgers, Smith pitched seven innings of one-run ball, striking out five and giving up five hits. For the Boilermakers, Julia Gossett pitched 5.2 strong innings, giving up just one run on two hits and would end up with a no-decision. Madi Elish pitched two-thirds of an inning, gave up two runs and was charged with the loss.
The Knights won 5-1.
Game Two
Rutgers again opened the scoring early in the game, as Smith launched a two-run home run, scoring graduate student utility player LA Matthews, giving the Knights a 2-0 lead.
Scoring was hard to come by until the top of the fifth inning, where Rutgers would get a run batted in by Matthews and two unearned runs on a costly error by Purdue.
The Boilermakers found their stride offensively in the bottom of the fifth. Five Purdue runs scored in the inning, with three of them being unearned. The game was tied 5-5.
The contest went to extra innings, where miscues came back to bite the Knights. A walk-off error in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Boilermakers a 6-5 victory.
Game three
Rutgers opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by Sand, followed by a two-run homer by Smith to give it a 3-0 lead. Despite the Knights' offense showing some signs of life in the inning, Purdue's pitching and defense stifled them for the remainder of the game.
The Boilermakers answered by scoring five runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Back-to-back hit-by-pitches scored runs to make it 3-2, then back-to-back singles from Ryen Ross and Olivia McFadden pushed across three more runs, giving the team a 5-3 lead, which they held on to for the remainder of the game.
Elish avenged her game one loss with a solid seven-inning performance, giving up just three runs on four hits and receiving the win. Smith was charged with the loss, giving up five runs in just 2.1 innings of work. Junior pitcher and first baseman Georgia Ingle pitched the final 3.2 innings, giving up no runs on two hits.
Rutgers will have an opportunity to bounce back this Wednesday at home against Hofstra.
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