Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Utah
IPFW Splits Double Header with Southern Utah
3/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 29, 2008
Fort Wayne, IN - The IPFW Mastodons (6-12, 1-3 Summit) picked up their first Summit League victory since joining the Summit League in the summer of 2007, splitting a double header with the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (9-23, 5-3 Summit). The Thunderbirds were victorious by a 14-2 score in the opener, before the `Dons rebounded for an 8-3 victory in the afternoon finale.
Southern Utah's bats came out blazing to start the double header, as the visitors scored four runs in their first at-bat. IPFW rallied with a run in the bottom of the first inning, as Ty Lambert singled to third base with the bases loaded, scoring Rachel Staschuk, and cutting the deficit to three at 4-1.
After both teams went scoreless in the second inning, the Thunderbirds rattled off 10 straight runs, scoring three in the third inning, six in the fourth and adding another in the fifth. The `Dons scored a final run in the fifth inning when Kristina Karpun crossed the plate on a throwing error, giving the game its 14-2 final score.
Lambert was a perfect 2-for-2 in the game, while driving in the team's only RBI. Amanda Olender picked up the loss, pitching the first three and two-thirds innings, striking out two but allowing a dozen earned runs on just seven hits while walking seven.
Three Thunderbirds had a pair of hits in the game, with Karli Jensen, Lindi Kennedy and Aly Daniels each going 2-for-3. Daniels drove in a game-high five runs, with Kennedy driving in three while crossing the plate a trio of times. Kristina Brooks was the winning pitcher, going the entire five innings, striking out two and walking four.
In the nightcap, Southern Utah first reached the scoreboard with a run in the second inning when Aly Daniels scored on an RBI double off the bat of Shannon Lum.
The `Don bats awoke in the fourth inning when the team scored four runs, all unearned, against Brooks. The first two runs came when Thunderbird's;a throw to home with the bases loaded went awry, scoring Abby Liden and Karpun. After a strikeout, Ava Hall singled up the middle, scoring Lambert before Jil Price knocked in Beatrice Pedraza with a single to right field.
The hosts added two more runs in the fifth inning when Karpun hit a two-run double, scoring Tara Mickelson and Liden. The Thunderbirds countered with a pair of runs of their own in the top of the sixth inning before the `Dons put the finishing touches on the 8-3 score with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, the first on a sacrifice fly by Liden, scoring Price, before Mickelson singled in Staschuk.
A double was all Southern Utah could muster in the top of the seventh, securing the victory for IPFW.
Liden was a perfect 2-for-2 in the nightcap, while Karpun tallied two hits in three at-bats. Karpun drove in a team-best two runs, with Liden scoring twice. Staschuk was the winning pitcher of record for the `Dons, pitching the entire seven innings, scattering eight hits while striking out six.
Southern Utah was led by Daniels, Lum and Brittany Henderson who each had two hits, with Lum driving in a pair. Brooks was also the pitcher of record in the second game, going six innings, allowing seven earned runs and striking out three.
The squad travels to Indianapolis on Tuesday to take on the Bulldogs of Butler University in a double header starting at 3:00 p.m. before traveling to UMKC on the weekend for the team's third Summit League series of the season.
