WHITING, Ind. – The Purdue University Northwest softball team picked up a sweep over Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent Calumet St. Joseph Friday afternoon.
The Pride (19-16-1, 9-5 CCAC) have won 8 of its last 9 conference games and have moved in to fifth place in the CCAC standings.
Game 1: PNW 7, CCSJ 5
After the Crimson Wave took an early 1-0 advantage to start off the contest, the Pride rallied back to score four runs in the top of the third inning to take a 4-1 advantage.
Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) would record an RBI-groundout to plate Haley Loden (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) which evened the score at one run apiece.
Tessa Steffens (Litchfield, Ill./Litchfield) and Allyson Leach (Demotte, Ind./North Newton) kept the inning alive to drive in three runs combined which extended the Pride's lead.
CCSJ would score two runs in the bottom half of the third, but the Pride would answer back with three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-3 lead.
The Crimson Wave would score one run in the fifth and sixth innings but the Pride would hold off any comeback efforts to pick up the 7-5 win.
It was a combined effort from the Pride pitching staff, with Pagan starting the game and throwing 2.2 innings while striking out two.
Leslie Ford (Garden City, Kan./Garden City) would come in relief of Pagan to throw 1.1 shutout innings with Audrey Headley (Lafayette, Ind./MCutcheon) also throwing 1.1 innings in relief.
Caroline Brown (Minooka, Ill./Minooka Community) would shut down the Crimson Wave for 1.2 innings to end the game and give the Pride the 7-5 win.
Game 2: PNW 9, CCSJ 1
After a scoreless first frame, the Pride put up six runs in the top of the second, starting with back-to-back RBI-singles from Leach and Loden.
Kyleigh Payne (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) would then come up to the plate with the bases loaded and crush the ball over the center field fence for a grand slam to put the Pride ahead 6-0.
The Crimson Wave would score one run in the bottom of the inning but the Pride would add one more in the top of the fourth on a wild pitch.
Samantha Oppenhuis (Munster, Ind./Illiana Christian) would add on to the scoring efforts for the Pride with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to put the Pride ahead 9-1.
Brown would shut down the Crimson Wave for the rest of the game to give the Pride the victory.
Brown pitched a complete game for the Black and Gold, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out three.
Purdue Northwest returns to action Tuesday, Apr. 18, when they host St. Ambrose University at Dowling Park in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. (CT).
