FORT WAYNE, Ind. – It was a tale of two games for IUPUI on the first day of the series against Purdue Fort Wayne. The Jags lost the first game 8-0 before rebounding for an 8-2 win over the Mastodons to close out the day.
IUPUI 8 – PURDUE FORT WAYNE 2
Rebounding from a poor offensive performance in the first game of the day, IUPUI finished the second game with 12 hits and eight runs.
Jaida Speth led the Jags with three hits and both
Hailey Pop and
Lauren Youngblood had two hits.
Youngblood also finished the game with two RBI and two stolen bases. Pop hit a solo home run and
Maicey Bedrick drove in two with a two-run blast.
In the circle,
Lexi Lucas showed out with a complete game win. Lucas allowed just five hits and one earned run. The junior finished with three strikeouts and did not allow a walk.
After leaving the bases loaded in the top of the first, IUPUI broke through in the second. Tori Sivert walked and stole second before Speth singled to move Sivert to third and took second on the throw. With two outs,
Morgan Gilbert walked to load the bases before Youngblood singled to left to score Sivert and Speth. An error allowed
Abbey Haas to reach and Gilbert to score to make the lead 3-0.
The Jags took advantage of another error to keep the inning alive in the fourth and Haas reached on an infield single to score Gilbert again.
Purdue Fort Wayne got on the board with a solo home run to lead off the fourth but IUPUI responded quickly with Pop doubling to start the fifth. A sac bunt from Sivert moved Pop over and she was scored on a single by Speth in the next at bat.
A Jaguar error allowed PFW to get another run on the board but IUPUI used the long ball to take a commanding lead in the sixth.
Haas walked to start the inning and two batters later, Bedrick hit a two run home run to make the score 7-2. In the next at bat, it was Pop's turn to go long, hitting a solo shot to make the score 8-2.
That was all Lucas needed as she shut down the Mastodons in the sixth and stranded a lead-off single in the seventh to get the Jags back in the win column.
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 8 – IUPUI 0
The first game of the day did not go well for the Jags as IUPUI managed just one hit in an 8-0 loss in five innings. Tori Sivert's single in the fifth broke up the no-hitter and a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth capped a five-run fifth inning for the Mastodons to end the game.
Purdue Fort Wayne got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of an IUPUI error to score two runs with two outs.
The Jags would get two walks, one each in the second and fourth innings, but could not do anything with them.
The bottom of the fifth began with two singles before an error on a stolen base attempt allowed the first run to score. After a ground out, a single brought in the second run and two batters later a three-run home run walked off the game for Purdue Fort Wayne.
UP NEXT
With impending weather on Saturday (April 10), the second day of the series has been pushed back to Sunday (April 11). The first game of the doubleheader on Sunday will begin at 1 p.m.
