The No. 5 seed Purdue Northwest Softball team saw its remarkable GLIAC Tournament run come to an end on Saturday afternoon at the Crown Point Sportsplex. The Pride opened the day with an incredible comeback in a 7-6 walk-off victory over No. 6 seed Davenport before falling to No. 2 seed Ferris State, 7-4, in an elimination game.
The Basics
- Final Record: Purdue Northwest (30-27)
- Location: Crown Point Sportsplex – Crown Point, Indiana
- Attendance: 300
Game 1 vs. Davenport - W, 7-6
The Breakdown
- Purdue Northwest rallied from a five-run deficit with a dramatic five-run seventh inning to defeat Davenport, 7-6, in walk-off fashion.
- The Pride totaled seven runs on eight hits, while Davenport finished with six runs on nine hits.
- Senior Amanda DeBoer (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) delivered a key two-run double in the sixth inning to begin the comeback effort.
- Senior Olivia Hernandez (Aurora, Ill./Aurora Central Catholic) added a two-run double in the seventh inning, while freshman Sylvia Mudis (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) tied the game with a two-run double later in the frame.
- Junior Kylie Dugan (Buck Creek, Ind./William Henry Harrison) completed the comeback with a walk-off RBI single to center field, with Mudis scoring the winning run on a throwing error.
- Mudis finished with two runs scored and two RBIs, while junior Emma Fair (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) went 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored.
- Senior Hailie Charmat (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) earned the win in relief, allowing two runs over 4.1 innings while striking out two.
- Davenport built an early lead with one run in the first inning and two more in the second behind RBI hits from Savanna Clark and Kailyne Luna.
- The Panthers added two more runs in the third inning to extend the advantage to 5-0.
- Purdue Northwest broke through in the sixth inning as DeBoer ripped a two-run double down the left field line to cut the deficit to 5-2.
- Davenport added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning on an RBI single from Madison Cole to make it 6-2.
- The Pride answered immediately in the bottom half with five runs to complete the comeback victory.
- Cole led Davenport offensively with three hits and two RBIs, while Luna added a triple, two walks, and an RBI.
Game 2 vs. Ferris State - L, 4-7
The Breakdown
- Ferris State ended Purdue Northwest's postseason run with a 7-4 victory in the tournament elimination game.
- The Pride recorded four runs on nine hits in the contest.
- Mudis paced the offense with two hits and two RBIs, including a two-run double during the fourth inning rally.
- Fair added two hits and an RBI, while freshman Charli Westerfield (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) contributed an RBI double.
- Dugan collected two hits and reached base three times.
- Sophomore Kendra Steinberg (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) took the loss in the circle for Purdue Northwest.
- Charmat provided four innings of relief work, allowing three runs while keeping the Pride within striking distance late in the game.
- Cecelia Bell earned the win for Ferris State, while Katie Shuboy recorded the save.
- Ferris State jumped ahead early with two runs in the first inning and added two more in the second inning to build a 4-0 lead.
- Jadyn Joseph proved to be the difference offensively for the Bulldogs, finishing 3-for-3 with four RBIs.
- The Bulldogs added another run in the third inning on Joseph's RBI double to make it 5-0.
- Purdue Northwest responded with a four-run fourth inning to pull within one run.
- Fair opened the scoring with an RBI double before Mudis drove in two runs with a double to right center.
- Westerfield followed with an RBI double to trim the deficit to 5-4.
- Ferris State answered in the fifth inning with a two-run single from Joseph to extend the lead back to 7-4.
- Addison Wangler scored twice and collected two hits for the Bulldogs, while Ava Gardner reached base four times with three stolen bases.
Season Wrap-Up
- Purdue Northwest closed the 2026 season with 30 victories and an impressive run through the GLIAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed.
- The Pride recorded postseason wins over Parkside, Grand Valley State, and Davenport while advancing to the semifinals.
- The team broke several records along the way that include, most hits, most doubles, most triples, and most stolen bases in a season.
