Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
San Jose State
Blue Raiders Outlast Purdue 5-4
3/3/2007 5:24:00 PM | Softball
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - Middle Tennessee softball (8-11) played its second extra-inning game in as many days at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic, coming out on top 5-4 in nine innings over Purdue Saturday at the Pine Creek Softball Complex. The Blue Raiders lost their first game of the day 3-1 to San Jose State.
Freshman lefty hurler Lindsey Vander Lugt tossed her seventh complete game of the season, pitching a career-high nine innings. The Olympia, Wash. native also broke her season-high in strikeouts with nine in the win over Purdue. She improves to 5-7 on the season, allowing the Boilermakers four runs on eight hits and walked just her sixth batter in 76.2 innings pitched.
Middle Tennessee had a 4-2 advantage over Purdue in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Boilermakers posted two runs to tie the game at four. This forced the clubs to play extra innings and enact the International tie-breaker rule, in which a runner is placed on second to start the inning. Neither team was able to push a run across in the eighth inning, which set up the heroic finish for the Blue Raiders in the ninth.
Junior Ashley Cline, arguable one of the fastest players on the team, was placed on second to start the ninth. With one out, sophomore Sam Floyd hit a hot shot to right field to plate Cline and break the four all tie.
Leading 5-4, it was time for Vander Lugt to close out the game and she didn't disappoint. Purdue placed its runner on second and moved the runner to third on a sacrifice bunt. With one out, Vander Lugt got a strikeout against Kelly Miller for the second out and forced Ashley Hall to ground out to shortstop Shelby Stiner for the final out of the game.
Stiner had a huge game for the Blue Raiders against Purdue. She had two doubles in the game, and has a total of four for the season. She also scored a run, had an RBI and swiped her seventh stolen base of the season.
Middle Tennessee got on the board to start the game, scoring one run. Back-to-back Purdue errors allowed Justine Cerda and Katie Mielke to reach first and second. An RBI single by Whitney Darlington, to right field, allowed Cerda to score the first Blue Raider run of the game.
The Blue Raiders added three runs in the top of the fourth. Martha Davis started the inning by reaching first on a Purdue error and advancing to second on the throw. A sacrifice bunt by Darlington moved Davis to third and an RBI double by Cline plated Davis. Stiner hit the second double of the inning, scoring Cline, and scored on the third Blue Raider double, with an RBI knock by Floyd.
Purdue cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth inning, breaking up Vander Lugt's shutout. The Boilermakers scored two runs to set up the seventh inning in which they tied the game.
Middle Tennessee fell to San Jose State in the first game of the day, falling 3-1 to the Spartans. San Jose State broke a scoreless game scoring one run in the top of the fourth. The club put the game out of reach when it scored two runs in the top of the seventh.
The Blue Raiders attempted to rally back in the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, freshman Corrie Abel drew a one out walk and moved to second on a ground out by Caitlin McLure. Abel scored off an RBI single by Cerda but it was all the run production Middle Tennessee could muster in the game.
Junior Amy Candioto started the game going 3.1 innings allowing one run on four hits and striking out one. Floyd came into the game in relief in the fourth inning and took the decision, as she allowed two runs on two hits and falls to 2-3 on the season.
Middle Tennessee ended pool play with a 2-2 record and enters bracket play in the Silver Bracket as the No. 5 seed. The Blue Raiders face No. 4 seed Morehead State at 8 a.m. Middle Tennessee faced Morehead State last weekend in its home tournament, falling to the Eagles 4-3. Should the Blue Raiders defeat Morehead, the club would play No. 1 seed and host Georgia Tech at 10 a.m.
