Purdue University Northwest

The No. 5 seed Purdue Northwest Softball team rallied late to upset No. 4 seed Parkside, 7-6, in the opening round of the GLIAC Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (28-25), Parkside (25-28)
• Location: Crown Point Sportsplex – Crown Point, Indiana
• Attendance: 300

The Breakdown

• Purdue Northwest erased a four-run deficit and scored three runs in the seventh inning to secure the postseason victory.
• The Pride totaled seven runs on eight hits, while Parkside finished with six runs on nine hits.
• Freshman Jessy Del Toro (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) led the offense with two hits and three RBIs, including a game-tying double in the fifth inning.
• Senior Amanda DeBoer (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored to pace the lineup.
• Freshman Charli Westerfield (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) added a double for the Pride, while sophomore Jadyn Ramer (Lafayette, Ind./William Henry Harrison) scored a run and collected a hit.
• Senior Grace Wilson (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) delivered the biggest hit of the game, blasting a three-run double in the seventh inning to put Purdue Northwest ahead for good.
• Sophomore Kendra Steinberg (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) earned the win in relief, allowing two runs over the final three innings while striking out one.
• Hailie Charmat (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) started in the circle, tossing four innings and recording three strikeouts.
• Parkside struck first in the opening inning on a two-run home run from Isabel Aranda to take a 2-0 lead.
• The Rangers added two more runs in the fourth inning behind RBI hits from Jadyn Polerecky and Aranda to extend the advantage to 4-0.
• Purdue Northwest answered in the fifth inning with a four-run rally.
• Freshman Gracie Jensen (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) drew an RBI walk before Del Toro cleared the bases with a three-run double to even the score at 4-4.
• Parkside regained the lead in the sixth inning with an RBI single from Elodie Sullivan to make it 5-4.
• The Pride responded with another clutch rally in the seventh inning.
• Freshman Sylvia Mudis (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) and Del Toro both came around to score before Wilson ripped a three-run double to give Purdue Northwest its first lead of the game at 7-5.
• Parkside scored once in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Steinberg and the PNW defense closed the door to secure the upset victory.

Up Next

• Purdue Northwest advances in the GLIAC Tournament and will continue postseason play as they now will take on top-seeded Saginaw Valley State on Friday, May 8. The game is slated to begin at 11:00 AM CT in Crown Point, Indiana at the Crown Point Sportsplex. 
• Note: The GLIAC Tournament is a double elimination style tournament.