Clermont, Fla. – Junior Mia Stevens (Wheatfield, Ind./Kankakee Valley) threw a one-hit shutout and kept her season record perfect at 3-0 Tuesday to lead the Purdue Northwest softball team in a convincing 9-0 victory over University of Minnesota-Crookston over five innings as part of the PFX Spring Games at Legends Way Field in Clermont, Fla. Unfortunately for PNW, the offensive momentum did not carry over into the late game against University of Illinois-Springfield (UIS), which ended in a 9-3 loss.
Junior Kalyn Learnard (Fairmount, Ill./Catlin) got the scoring started for the Pride in Tuesday's opener stealing third base and then scoring on a throwing error by the UM-Crookston catcher in the top of the third inning. Purdue Northwest added three more runs in the top of the fourth when junior Tessa Steffens (Litchfield, Ill./Litchfield) hit a RBI single to left centerfield and Learnard followed that with a two-run single to left centerfield, all with two outs.
Senior Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 5-0 and freshman Alexis Madrigal (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) notched her first career hit, a bases-clearing double to centerfield, to plate three more runs in the next at-bat. Steffens wrapped up PNW's scoring in the fifth with a RBI off an infield groundout.
In the late game against UIS, the Pride fell behind 1-0 in the top of the third inning when the Prairie Stars scored on a fielder's choice. Illinois-Springfield got another run in the top of the fourth on a RBI single and then added four more runs in the fifth on a pair of RBI singles and a two-run double. The Stars went up 7-0 in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly before the Pride got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning with a RBI on a squeeze play by sophomore Taylor Mendenhall (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg).
However, UIS scored two more runs in the top of the seventh off a two-run single up the middle to build a 9-1 advantage. Junior Zoee Anderson (Lafayette, Ind./Lafayette Jefferson) and Mendenhall both logged RBI singles in the bottom of the seventh to help PNW pull within six runs, 9-3; but that was as close as it would get. Freshman Courtney Blackwell (Whiting, Ind./Whiting) took the loss (3-4) as the starter in game two. She threw four innings and allowed six hits, two runs (both earned) and two walks with no strikeouts.
Purdue Northwest (7-6 overall) takes Wednesday off and returns to action on Thursday, March 15, with two more games. The Pride take on West Chester (Pa.) at noon CT Thursday and then play Bridgeport (Conn.) at 2 p.m. CT.
