WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Rutgers softball opened the Purdue series by getting past the Boilermakers, 5-1, on Friday at the Bittinger Stadium.

With the score tied at 1-1 entering the seventh, the Scarlet Knights plated four runs in their final at-bat for the win.

The victory improved RU to 21-13 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten action.

Rutgers 5, Purdue 1

• Morgan Smith tossed a complete game victory with five strikeouts and scored one of RU's four runs in the top of the seventh. It was the senior Scarlet Knights' sixth complete game of the year. She allowed only one run on five hits to improve to 8-5.
• Kyleigh Sand was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Payton Lincavage, whose squeeze bunt kicked off scoring in the seventh, and Kayla Bock, pushed across RU's first run of the game on a bases-loaded walk, both had an RBI and run scored.

• Rutgers didn't generate any hits in its first at-bat, but the Scarlet Knights still managed a run. RU loaded the bases behind two walks and a hit batter allowing Kayla Bock to collect an RBI on a walk for a 1-0 edge.
• Purdue knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the third. Moriah Polar batted the ball to the circle where Morgan Smith connected with Payton Lincavage to take out the Boilermakers' lead runner, but Polar would end up scoring off Khloe Banks' double to left.
• The score remained tied until the top of the seventh. Morgan Smith led off the inning with a single to center and reached third on a stolen base and Katie Wingert's sac bunt. Lincavage executed the squeeze bunt to put RU back in front for the first of four runs of the inning. Bock followed with a base hit and advanced to third while Lincavage came home on a wild pitch. Maddie Lawson, meanwhile, was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. The Boilermakers had a chance to retire the side without further damage but an infield miscue allowed Jillian Anderson to reach. The inning came to a close with an RBI single for Kyleigh Sand before catching Anderson attempting to take an extra base on the play.

• Due to forecasted inclement weather on Sunday, Rutgers and Purdue will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 45 minutes following to wrap up the series.