Purdue Fort Wayne
North Dakota State
Karpun Ties Career Home Run Record as `Dons Sweep Bison
4/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 3, 2010
Fargo, ND - IPFW junior catcher Kristina Karpun set a new single season record with her eighth home run, while tying the career record in the process, when she hit a home run to center field in the first inning, before Sara Hopwood hit a solo home run in the top of the eighthinning to give the Mastodons a 2-1 lead that they held onto to help the 'Dons to a three-game sweep over the North Dakota State Bison.
The Mastodons won their 11th straight conference game, improving to 11-1 in the league, and 19-10 overall. Starting pitcher Courtney Cronin, who is the defending Summit League Pitcher of the Week, struck out 11 over eight innings of work, allowing just one run, and scattering four hits. Over her two games against the Bison, the sophomore struck out 23 batters, allowing four earned runs, and walking five, improving her record to 11-6 on the season, a new single season school record for wins in a season.
"We had timely hits, our infield played great defense, and Courtney Cronin had another strong outing for us," said IPFW head coach Amy Tudor. "Kris' record is awesome to have, and it is great that she is seeing the ball well, hitting the ball solid, and is driving the ball to all parts of the field."
IPFW opened the game when Karpun hit her record-setting home with two outs in the first inning, staking the 'Dons to a 1-0 lead, as the visitors never trailed at any point during the three-game series. NDSU's Melissa Chmielewski answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, knotting the game at one apiece after six combined outs in the game.
After seeing two runs in the first inning, the scoring in the contest took a complete standstill, as neither team would be able to cross the plate until seven innings later.
IPFW had their chances the score, including in the fifth inning when Ava Hall led off with a walk, before getting moved to second on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Heather Genovese. After a strikeout, Rachel Staschuk walked, and on the fourth ball, the pitch scooted away from catcher Maryssa McKenzie, allowing Hall to move to third; however, the junior third baseman was left stranded at third as Hopwood flied out to left field.
An inning later the 'Dons got a leadoff double from Karpun, but the IPFW pinch runner was caught off base, putting the first out on the board in the inning. Cronin followed with a sharp single to the right-center gap, before back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.
The Bison threatened in the bottom of the sixth when Nicole Rivera led off the inning with a slap-hitting single, and after a foul-out by Laurel Pipkin, Rivera stole second base to put a runner in scoring position with one out. Three-time Summit League Player of the Week Chmielewski then struck out, before pinch hitter Becca Gift also struck out, ending the scoring attempt.
Neither team could score in their turn during the seventh inning, before Hopwood led off the eighth inning with a line-drive home run to left field, pushing the Mastodons ahead 2-1.
NDSU's leadoff hitter McKenzie struck out, before Elisa Victa singled up the middle, and later advanced to second on a wild pitch, putting the tying runner in scoring position with one out. Rivera followed by lining out to Hopwood at shortstop, before Cronin ended the game with a strikeout for the second straight game, striking out Pipkin for her 11th strikeout of the game.
Hopwood and Karpun each had two hits for IPFW, each of their 10th multiple-hit game of the season, as Karpun increased her hitting streak to 11 with the first inning homer. Three other players, Cronin, Wolfe, and Hall each had one hit in the game, with Hopwood and Karpun scoring once and driving in one with their solo home runs.
Rivera, Pipkin, Chmieliewski, and Victa each had one hit for NDSU, as Whitney Johnson picked up the loss, dropping the freshman to 14-12 on the year, as she struck out eight in eight innings of work, scattering seven hits and allowing the two earned runs while also walking a pair.
The Mastodons stay on the road for their next game, as the team travels to Muncie, Indiana, to take on the Cardinals of Ball State University in a mid-week non-conference game, before hosting South Dakota State on April 9 and 10.
~Dons~
