The Purdue Northwest Softball team split a GLIAC doubleheader against Wayne State on Thursday afternoon at Dowling Park, dropping Game 1, 7-4, before responding with a 7-5 comeback victory in Game 2.

The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (20-16, 6-6 GLIAC), Wayne State (13-18, 5-7 GLIAC)
• Location: Hammond, Indiana - (Dowling Park)
• Attendance: 100

Game 1
The Breakdown

• Wayne State finished with seven runs on nine hits, while drawing five walks to create consistent scoring pressure.
• Purdue Northwest totaled four runs on six hits.
• Junior Kylie Dugan (Buck Creek, Ind./William Henry Harrison) led the Pride with two hits and a stolen base.
• Freshman Sylvia Mudis (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) and senior Grace Wilson (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) each hit a homerun in the contest.
• Senior Hailie Charmat (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) went the distance in the circle, striking out three while allowing seven runs on nine hits.
• Molly Hool led the Warriors with two hits and two RBIs.
• Sydney Long earned the complete-game victory for Wayne State, allowing four runs on six hits.
• Wayne State used a big second inning to take control early, scoring three runs on a combination of timely hits and patience at the plate to jump out to a 3-0 lead.
• The Warriors added to their advantage in the third inning with an RBI double to extend the lead to 4-0.
• Purdue Northwest answered in the fourth inning, beginning with an RBI groundout from freshman Gracie Jensen (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) before Mudis launched a solo home run to cut the deficit to 4-2.
• Wayne State regained momentum late, using a solo home run in the sixth and two RBI hits in the seventh inning to stretch the lead to 7-2.
• The Pride made one final push in the seventh as Wilson connected on a two-run home run, but the comeback effort fell short.

Game 2
The Breakdown

• Purdue Northwest finished with seven runs on 11 hits, capitalizing on multiple unearned scoring opportunities in the decisive inning.
• Senior's Amanda DeBoer (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) and Olivia Hernandez (Aurora, Ill./Aurora Central Catholic) each recorded two hits, while Mudis drove in three runs to lead the offense.
• Freshman Jessy Del Toro (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) added one hit and one RBI.
• Dugan, junior Madison Ecker (Shiloh, Ill./O'Fallon Township), and junior Hannah Rafferty-Flatter (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South) each contribute one hit.
• Sophomore Abbey Bond (Saint John, Ind./Andrean) earned the win in relief, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings to close out the victory.
• Sophomore Kendra Steinberg (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) and freshman Chloe Tanner (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) combined to handle the early innings before Bond secured the comeback win.
• Five different Wayne State players led the offense with hits apiece.
• Hayden Batton started in the circle for the Warriors going the first 5.2 innings allowing 11 hits and seven runs to record the loss.
• Wayne State also recorded 11 hits but stranded multiple runners and committed a key error that led to unearned runs.
• Purdue Northwest struck first in the opening inning on a sacrifice fly from Jessy Del Toro (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) to take a 1-0 lead.
• Wayne State responded with aggressive baserunning in the second inning, tying the game on a steal of home before adding another run on an RBI single to go up 2-1.
• The Warriors continued to build their lead with runs in the third and fourth innings, extending the advantage to 4-1.
• Purdue Northwest answered in the fourth inning as Sylvia Mudis (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) delivered a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 4-3.
• Wayne State added a run in the sixth inning to make it 5-3, setting up a dramatic finish.
• The Pride erupted in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring four runs to take control of the game. Mudis drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before Olivia Hernandez (Aurora, Ill./Aurora Central Catholic) delivered a two-run single to give Purdue Northwest the lead.
• Grace Wilson (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) followed with an RBI single to cap the rally and push the lead to 7-5.
• Bond and the PNW defense held strong in the final inning to secure the victory.

Up Next

• Purdue Northwest continues GLIAC play when they hit the road and travel to take on Davenport on Saturday, April 11. The doubleheader is set to start at 1:00 PM CT in Grand Rapids, Michigan.