Sept. 18, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue softball team opened the 1999 Fall season with a pair of victories at the Bradley Invitational in Orland Park, Ill. The Boilers defeated the University of Missouri-St. Louis 9-1 in six innings and Loyola (Chicago) 6-1 in five innings.
"The coaches are very pleased with the performance today," coach Carol Bruggeman said. "Our offensive production was very good for the first two games of the season. We had some clutch hits with two outs, a couple of extra base knocks and not too many strike outs."
The Boilers came out strong in the first game. After spotting UMSL a run in the top of the first, Purdue scored two in the bottom of the inning on a one out double by Katie Crabtree and a single by Jesse Jones. From there on it was all Purdue, as pitcher Meagan Dooley cruised through UMSL line-up. The Boilers rapped out 13 hits, including a six hit, five run fourth, over in the course of the game while Dooley and Crystal Inman allowed only five hits for UMSL. Crabtree went three for four with a RBI and two stolen bases.
The second game went much like the first. Purdue put up two runs in the top of the first, which was enough for Leighann Burke and Nicole Crouse. The duo combined to allow only one run on three hits over the five innings while striking out six.
"Our pitchers performed well in their roles today," Bruggeman said. "We just need to keep improving each time out. These fall tournaments are a great way to work on the small things and get some game experience."
Purdue will conclude their trip tomorrow with games against St. Xavier (Chicago), Valparaiso and Bradley.