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.