Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Purdue
Softball Splits With Purdue
4/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern University softball team split with Purdue Friday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind., taking the opener, 17-5, but falling the nightcap, 6-2. The split pushed the Wildcats' record to 16-17 overall, 4-2 in the Big Ten.
In Friday's first game, Northwestern used a 10-run explosion in the seventh inning to break open a close game. The crushing blow came off the bat of Brooke Siebel, who hit a grand slam to cap the inning.
Purdue took an early lead, scoring once in the first, before NU responded with two runs on a one-out single by Tami Jones. The Wildcats tacked on single runs in the third (on an Erin Jancic RBI triple) and the fourth (on a sacrifice fly by Robyn Pettinger) and then two more in the fifth when Jenn Shull knocked a 2-run double.
Purdue finally got to Wildcat pitcher Lauren Schwendimann, scoring four runs in the fifth to close the gap to 7-5. Ater each team went down in order in the sixth, NU exploded for the win.
In Game 2, Purdue scored six runs on Schwendimann, and that proved enough as the Wildcats' potent bats went silent. After the Boilermakers scored twice in the first, NU came back with two in the second as Rane Gunderson hit an RBI single and an error allowed Gretchen Barnes to score one batter later. However, the Wildcats left the bases loaded.
Purdue then scored twice in the fifth and tacked on two more in the seventh for the win.
Northwestern will next be in action at Indiana this weekend, meeting the Hoosiers in single games both Saturday and Sunday.
