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Kisten Martin doubled home LeeAnn Butcher in the ninth for Illinois
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April 9, 2004
West Lafayette, Ind. - Freshman Kisten Martin's two-out double to the left-field fence scored LeeAnn Butcher from first in the top of the ninth to lift Illinois to a 3-2 victory over Purdue. Sherri Taylor allowed just three hits in 3 1/3 innings in relief to improve to 7-7 on the season.
Erin Jones was 3-for-4 with an RBI on the day and led off the decisive ninth inning with an infield single. The Illinois defense turned three double plays , including DPs in the sixth and seventh innings. Taylor made a nice dive to catch a bunt attempt and doubled up the runner at first in the sixth. In the seventh Katie'O Connell fielded a ball up the middle, touched second, then fired to an outstretched Jenna Hall at first.
Illinois starter Amanda Fortune came out firing, retiring the first seven Boilermaker batters -- the first four via the strikeout. Fortune pitched out of a jam in the third when LeeAnn Butcher made a nice play in left with the bases loaded and two outs.
Illinois (25-14-1) used a Purdue error to its advantage to score the first two runs of the game in the fourth. Lindsey Hamma led off the inning with a bouncer up the middle for a base hit. Jenna Hall recorded her first sacrifice of the year a perfectly executed bunt. The next batter, Erin Montgomery bounced to the right side of the infield. With Hamma running, the Boilers tried to get Hamma in a rundown between second and third and subsequently threw the ball into the dugout, allowing Hamma to score and Montgomery to advance to the third. Erin Jones singled through the drawn-in infield scoring Montgomery to make it 2-0, Illinois.
It didn't take Purdue long to answer, however. The Boilers' Shelli Messer singled sharply past second baseman Katie O'Connell, scoring Staci Falzon, who led off the inning with a double off the center field fence. Purdue scored an unearned run in the fifth on a RBI single from Angela Knight to tie the score at 2-2.
Purdue freshman pitcher Brooke Baker struck out nine batters, including four looking, but suffered the loss to fall to 13-5 on the season.
Illinois is now 6-1 all-time against Purdue. The two teams conclude the two-game series tomorrow in West Lafayette.
