The Purdue Northwest softball team opened the 2023 campaign competing at the Music City Invitational where they played a total of five games. The event was held at Cedar Stone Park in Smyrna, Tenn.
Friday, February 17Â vs. Northwood - L, 2-6
The Breakdown
- Senior Ashley Bravo (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) led the Pride with a hit and 2 RBIs.
- Junior Kirsta Wright (Casa Grande, Ariz./Casa Grande Union (Central Arizona CC)) added a hit.
- Junior Maddison Roop (Hudson, Ill./University) started on the mound for the Pride pitching 5.1 innings and recording four strikeouts.
- Steimel led Northwood with two hits and three RBIs.
- Leister pitched all seven innings for the Timberwolves and tallied a game-high 13 strikeouts.
- The Pride grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first inning and then notched another run in the third to make it 2-0.
- Northwood notched their first run in the fifth to cut it to 2-1.
- The Timberwolves scored five runs in the sixth inning to seal the win, 6-2.
Saturday, February 18Â vs. University of Indianapolis - L, 1-2 (8 innings)
The Breakdown
- Senior Selena Michko (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) led Purdue Northwest with one hit and one RBI.
- Junior Aubrey Shroyer (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon), senior Jocey Gault (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison), graduate Madison Schultz (Lafayette, Ind./Faith Christian), and freshman Grace Wilson (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) each notched a hit.
- Junior Gabby Paliska (Palos Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way East (Wisconsin-Green Bay)) started in the circle for the Pride and pitched all seven innings. She ended the contest with seven strikeouts.
- Nichols led Indianapolis with two hits and one RBI.
- Smith pitched all seven innings for the Greyhounds and recorded 12 strikeouts.
- Indianapolis took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning.
- The Pride tied the game up in the third off a Michko RBI hit to make the score 1-1.
- The Greyhounds got the win in the eighth inning with an RBI triple from Nichols to make the final score, 2-1.
Saturday, February 18 vs. Findlay - L, 1-5
The Breakdown
- Bravo, Michko, and sophomore Myah Stuckey (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) led the Pride each with two hits.
- Freshman Olivia Hernandez (Aurora, Ill./Aurora Central Catholic) added one hit and one RBI.
- Wright chipped in one hit.
- Senior Abbie May (LaSalle, Ill./Saint Bede Academy) earned the start for the Pride pitched the first five innings and notching three strikeouts.
- Junior Jessica DeBoer (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) pitched the final two innings.
- Briggs led Findlay with two hits and an RBI.
- Jones pitched all seven innings for Findlay and recorded four strikeouts.
- Findlay grabbed the first runs in the fourth inning to grab a 2-0 lead.
- The Pride made it 2-1 in the sixth off a Hernandez RBI.
- The Oilers scored three runs in the seventh to seal the win, 5-1.
Sunday, February 19 vs. Missouri S&T - W, 2-1
The Breakdown
- Junior Allison Arnold (Tucson, Ariz./Naperville North) led the Pride with three hits.
- Gault added two hits.
- Freshman Amanda DeBoer (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) chipped in one hit and one RBI.
- Senior Emma Hill (Holmes Beach, Fla./Cary-Grove (IL)) pitched a complete game win for the Pride on the mound earning four strikeouts and allowing one run.
- Antzoulat and Saltijera each led Missouri S&T with one hit.
- Rowland pitched all seven innings for the Miners and tallied six strikeouts.
- The Pride scored their two runs in the second inning to take an early 2-0 lead.
- Missouri S&T grabbed one back in the second to cut the deficit to 2-1.
- Strong pitching and defense from the Pride held the Miners from scoring to seal the victory, 2-1.
Sunday, February 19 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan - W, 13-5 (5 Innings)
The Breakdown
- Gault led Purdue Northwest with two hits and a game-high four RBIs.
- Sophomore Darcy Barkauskas (St. Johns, Ind./Lake Central)Â added two hits and two RBI.
- Bravo tallied two hits, one RBI, and two runs.
- Arnold drove in two runs with one hit.
- Michko earned two hits.
- Junior Kelsi Dillon (Braidwood, Ill./Reed-Custer (Georgian Court)) chipped in one hit and one RBI during the game.
- Junior Jessica DeBoer (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) pitched the first three innings for the Pride and earned the win on the mound.Â
- Roop finished the final two innings in the circle for Purdue Northwest and tallied a strikeout.
- Dunn led Kentucky Wesleyan with two hits and one RBI.
- Dunn also started on the mound for Kentucky Wesleyan and pitched all five innings.
- The Pride grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning.
- The Panthers came back in the first and scored five runs to take a 5-2 lead.
- Purdue Northwest scored four runs in the third to regain the lead, 6-5.
- The Pride lit up the fourth inning with six runs and earned a run in the fifth to take the win, 13-5.
Up Next
- The Pride next compete in the Lewis Dome Invitational starting on Thursday, February 23 in Rosemont, Ill. The first game is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. against Truman State.
