Softball Unable Push Past Purdue In Series Finale

Sunday, May 1

West Lafayette, Ind.

12:00 PM (ET)

Rutgers University

25-28, 3-17

Purdue

22-29, 5-15

RUTGERS

Purdue

Photo by: (Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)

Softball Unable Push Past Purdue In Series Finale

May 01 | Softball

Box Score Box Score - Purdue - Game 3

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Rutgers softball was topped in the series finale against Purdue on Sunday at Bittinger Stadium as the Scarlet Knights were unable to overcome the Boilermakers' early lead in an 8-2 setback.

Rutgers dropped to 25-28 overall and 3-17 in Big Ten play setting up next weekend to be a decisive series for the Scarlet Knights in making their way to the 2022 Big Ten Tournament. Purdue, meanwhile, upped its mark to 22-29 overall and 5-15 in league action.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Junior Payton Lincavage went 2-for-3 capturing her fourth home run of the season.
Freshman Maddie Lawson and junior Taylor Fawcett also had a pair of hits in the loss. Lawson also drove in the Scarlet Knights' second run.
Sophomore Kyleigh Sand added her team-leading 48th run and extended her on-base streak to 34.
Junior Ashley Hitchcock fell to 11-17 inside the circle striking out three Boilermakers while allowing two runs on two hits. Classmate Jaden Vickers, coming off a 225-pitch, 12-inning contest on Friday night, tossed four innings.

THE RUNDOWN

Purdue jumped out to a 2-0 edge in the first with solo home runs from the bats of Rachel Becker and Jade Moy.
Rutgers led off the second with back-to-back singles by Katie Wingert and Taylor Fawcett. Leilani Chavez advanced the runners on a sac bunt, but another bunt by Taylor Lane caught Wingert trying to score and kept RU off the scoreboard.
The Boilermakers used a pair of doubles in the second to plate four and extend their lead to 6-0. Kiara Dillon drove in a run with the extra-base hit to left-center and Alex Echazarreta knocked in three runs also landing the ball in left-center.
Payton Lincavage led off the fifth going over the wall in left to put Rutgers onto the scoreboard.
Purdue, however, used another home run to add to its advantage. In the fifth, Kaeley Hallada went out of the park in left lifting her team to an 8-1 lead.
Kyleigh Sand led off the seventh reaching on a bunt and came home to score on a single by Maddie Lawson to left. The Scarlet Knights were able to load the bases in their final at-bat but were unable to lessen the deficit.

UP NEXT

Rutgers softball returns to the field for the final regular-season series opening on Friday, May 7 against Michigan State with a trip to the Big Ten Tournament on the line.

Follow Rutgers softball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

- RU -