Softball Stuns Ohio State in Doubleheader Sweep

On May 2, 2021

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue softball (12-23) secured a day’s sweep over Ohio State (18-16) after ending the day with a walk-off 7-6 victory in the eighth inning. The thriller came on the heels of a 4-2 win in the first game of the day, earning Purdue a 2-1 edge in the series.

Leading the day was freshman Kaitlyn Brannstrom, who recorded six RBI and Rachel Becker, who tallied a pair of runs in each game.

Sydney Bates went the distance in Game One before coming in relief to earn the win in the second matchup. With the result, the right-handed pitcher moves to a 6-5 record on the season. In 8.2 innings of work, the senior tallied five strikeouts and just four hits.

Game 1 | W, 4-2
The Boilermakers notched the 4-2 victory, led by Becker and Kiley Goff with two runs apiece while Brannstrom and Alex Echazarreta each contributed two RBI.

Bates moved to 5-5 on the season with her complete game effort, in which she struck out five Buckeyes and held Ohio State to three hits while facing 24 batters.

The Boilermaker defense denied Ohio State a run despite loading the bases with just one out on the board. Bates secured a key strikeout for the second out of the day, while second baseman Becca Jones tossed the final out to Echazarreta at first.

In Purdue’s first at-bat, freshman Brannstrom sent a double to center field to give Goff the time to score from first and put the Boilermakers up 1-0.

In the third inning, the Boilermakers added a pair of runs, with another RBI from Brannstrom to score Becker from third. With the RBI, Goff advanced to third base, and later found home on Echazarreta’s single.

A two-run homer by Ohio State in the fourth put the Buckeyes within range of the lead, but the Boilermakers added an insurance run in the fifth with Echazarreta’s second RBI and Becker’s second run of the game.

Game 2 | W, 7-6 (8 IN)

Tied 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth, Becca Jones notched the winning RBI as she sent a ball to left field for pinch hitter Kiara Dillon to round two bases and secure the walk-off victory. Bates earned the win in the circle after entering during the seventh inning and allowing just one hit after facing six Buckeyes.

A well-rounded performance by Purdue included a .353 batting average and six Boilermakers scoring in the 7-6 victory. Brannstrom helped the team to the win with a career-high four RBI after going 3-3 at the plate.

Purdue held the lead for five total innings before Ohio State tied up the game with three runs in the top of the seventh to force extras.

Purdue was the first the strike, with Brannstrom singling in the first inning to score Becker. The Boilermakers held the 1-0 lead until the top of the fourth, when the Buckeyes hit a two RBI homer past the center field wall for the 3-1 advantage.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, slugger Brannstrom recording a three-run home run through center field for Purdue to retake the lead, 4-3, in the bottom of the fifth.

With just three outs standing between Purdue and victory, Ohio State knotted the game 6-6 in the top of the seventh.

The Boilermaker defense went held strong in the top of the eighth inning, seeing three batters up and three batters out before taking the plate themselves. With one Purdue out, pinch hitter Dillon singled to left field. Jones followed, doubling to left field, where Dillon ran the bases from first to notch the walk-off victory.

Notes

Purdue has won four of its last six games
Purdue’s 12 hits in Game Two marked its 8th double-digit hit outing of the season
A Boilermaker has notched a home run every weekend for the past straight three weeks.
Brannstrom recoded her third career home run
Becker has scored in five of the last six games
Brannstrom’s 4 RBI in Game Two was a career-high
Kiara Dillon has scored in three of her last four games
Sydney Bates has pitched three complete games this season
Bates’ five strikeouts in the day’s first game was the second-most this season (season-high: 6 vs. Maryland on 3/11)

Up Next
Purdue and Ohio State will close out the series tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network Plus.