The Purdue Northwest Softball continued play at the USSSA Space Coast Spring Games on Monday morning and afternoon in Florida, earning a pair of hard-fought victories in Melbourne. The Pride outlasted Ohio Dominican in a nine-inning thriller, 6-4, before holding off Minot State, 4-3, in the finale.
The Basics
- Records: Purdue Northwest (13-7), Ohio Dominican (7-10), Minot State (14-8)
- Location: Melbourne, Florida
- Attendance: 60
Game 1
The Breakdown
- Junior Emma Fair (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) led the Pride offense with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, driving in three runs and reaching base five times.
- Senior Amanda DeBoer (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) added three hits and scored twice, while freshman Sylvia Mudis (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) collected two hits and an RBI.
- Freshman Charli Westerfield (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) chipped in a double, an RBI and scored a run, while junior Kylie Dugan (Buck Creek, Ind./William Henry Harrison) reached base three times with a hit and two walks.
- Purdue Northwest drew six walks and totaled 11 hits in the extra-inning victory.
- Freshman Chloe Tanner (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) started in the circle, working five innings and allowing four runs on five hits.
- Sophomore Abbey Bond (Saint John, Ind./Andrean) was dominant in relief, earning the win after tossing four shutout innings, allowing no hits while striking out two.
- The Pride struck early with three runs in the first inning.
- Fair delivered a two-run single to score DeBoer and Dugan before Mudis followed with an RBI double to give PNW a 3-0 lead.
- PNW added another run in the second inning when Westerfield delivered an RBI double down the left field line to extend the lead to 4-0.
- Ohio Dominican battled back with two runs in the third inning and added a solo home run in the fourth to cut the deficit to 4-3.
- The Panthers tied the game in the sixth inning with another solo home run, evening the score at 4-4.
- Both teams remained scoreless through the seventh and eighth innings as Bond kept Ohio Dominican off the board in relief.
- The Pride broke through in the ninth inning.
- Westerfield scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of fellow freshman Gracie Jensen (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) to give PNW the lead before Fair delivered an RBI single up the middle to score DeBoer and make it 6-4.
- Bond closed the door in the bottom half to secure the extra-inning victory.
Game 2
The Breakdown
- Jensen provided the biggest swing of the game, delivering a three-run triple in the third inning to account for most of the Pride's offense.
- DeBoer added an RBI single, while Dugan, Westerfield and Fair each recorded a hit.
- Purdue Northwest finished with eight hits and played error-free defense.
- Sophomore Jordyn Roop (Hudson, Ill./University) earned the win in the circle, allowing three runs on six hits across six innings.
- Junior Hannah Rafferty-Flatter (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South) picked up the save, tossing a scoreless seventh inning to secure the victory.
- Minot State opened the scoring in the third inning on a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead.
- The Pride responded immediately in the bottom half with a four-run inning.
- DeBoer tied the game with an RBI single before Jensen cleared the bases with a triple down the right field line to give PNW a 4-1 advantage.
- Minot State cut into the lead in the fifth inning with two runs on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3.
- Roop worked through the sixth inning without further damage, keeping the Pride in front.
- Rafferty-Flatter entered in the seventh and closed out the game, stranding the tying run to seal the 4-3 win.
Up Next
- Purdue Northwest plays in their final day of the USSSA Space Coast Spring Games on Tuesday, March 17 in Melbourne, Florida. The games begin at 10:00 AM CT.