TUCSON, Ariz. – The Purdue University Northwest Softball team fought back to mount a comeback over Minnesota Crookston, 12-6 in the nightcap, and dropped a 5-4 decision to Dickinson State earlier in the day.
Game 1: Dickinson State 5, PNW 4
The Black and Gold jumped out to an early lead over the Blue Hawks, after an RBI-single from Kyleigh Payne (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) drove in Olivia Sardella (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) who doubled to lead off the game.
Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster) would later score to put the Pride ahead 2-0.
Dickinson State would answer back in the bottom of the second inning with a pair of runs, before taking the lead in the top of the fourth with a three-run frame to go ahead 5-2.
PNW would battle back in the top half of the seventh, after Tessa Steffens (Litchfield, Ill./Litchfield) and Haley Loden (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) each scored to put the Pride within one, 5-4.
Dickinson State would hold off the Pride's comeback effort and come away with the 5-4 win.
Game 2: PNW 12, Minnesota Crookston 6
The Golden Eagles scored one run in each of the first two innings to take a 2-0 lead, before scoring four runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead 6-0.
Purdue Northwest would fight back in the bottom of the fifth frame, putting up nine runs to take a 9-6 advantage.
Payne started things off with a bases loaded walk , followed by a sacrifice fly from Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) which cut their deficit to 6-2.
Steffens would drive in Kotzo on an RBI-single to make it 6-3, with some costly errors from the Golden Eagles putting helping the Pride even the score at 6-6.
Sardella would keep the inning alive with a 2-RBI single, followed by a sacrifice fly from Kotzo to cap off a nine-run frame.
The Pride would keep the bats alive in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to an RBI-double from Samantha Oppenhuis (Munster, Ind./Illiana Christian) followed by an RBI-groundout from Hannah Lopez (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany).
Loden would single to plate Oppenhuis to put the Pride ahead 12-6, with the Black and Gold holding off the Golden Eagles and complete the comeback.
Purdue Northwest will be back in action for its final games in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday Mar. 15, when they face off with Dickinson State at 4:30 p.m. (CT) before finishing with Huntington at 7:00 p.m. (CT).
