PNW Softball Defeats Huntington in Extra Innings; Captures Win over Dickinson State Wednesday
The Purdue University Northwest softball team defeated Dickinson State, 10-8 in today’s opening game, before using a ninth-inning comeback performance to defeat Huntington University, 8-7.
Game 1: PNW 10, Dickinson State 8
Senior Samantha Oppenhuis (Munster, Ind./Illiana Christian) started things off for the pride, recording an RBI-single, which plated Olivia Sardella (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) to put the Pride up 1-0.
The Pride took advantage of some Blue Hawk miscues in the field, after a string of RBI-singles from Oppenhuis and Tessa Steffens (Litchfield, Ill./Litchfield) helped propel the Black and Gold to a 5-0 advantage.
DSU would put up three runs in the top half of the third inning, but the Pride would battle back to spot a 5-run third inning to help jump out to a 10-3 lead.
Dickinson State would try and mount a comeback effort in the top of the sixth frame, but senior pitcher Audrey Headley (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) would enter the game late and hold off the Blue Hawks to give the Pride a 10-8 victory.
Senior pitcher Leslie Ford (Garden City, Kan./Garden City) earned the win for the Black and Gold in the circle, pitching five innings and striking out a pair of batters.
Game 2: PNW 8, Huntington 7 (9-innings)
In a seesaw battle with the Foresters, the Pride struck first after Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster) scored on an RBI-single from Kyleigh Payne (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) to put PNW ahead 1-0.
Huntington would answer back with a two-run second frame to take a 2-1 lead, but the Pride would come back with a pair of home runs thanks to Sardella and Payne to give the Pride a 4-2 advantage.
The Foresters would score one run in the fourth inning, followed by a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, giving the Pride just three outs left and trailing 5-4.
Senior Allyson Leach (Demotte, Ind./North Newton) would score the game-tying run in the top of the seventh inning, which eventually sent the game in to extra innings.
Huntington would start off extra innings with one run, but Hannah Lopez (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany) would connect on a clutch RBI-triple which plated Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) to even the score back up at 6-6.
After the Foresters scored another run in the top of the ninth, PNW would answer back after Kotzo brought in Leach to tie the game at 7-7.
Pagan would cap off the comeback effort for the Pride by knocking in Kotzo for the game winning run to give the Pride the 8-7 victory.
The Black and Gold return home for a doubleheader against NCAA Div. 2 member Grand Valley State at Fifth Third Bank Field at Dowling Park starting at 1 p.m. (CT).
PNW Baseball Defeats IUSB; Falls to Warner Wednesday Afternoon The Purdue University Northwest baseball team defeated IU South Bend, 5-1, in the first game of the day, before falling to Warner University 7-3.
Game 1: PNW 5, IUSB 1
After Larry Crisler (Gary, Ind./Bishop Noll) singled with one out in the first frame, senior Jake Lindeman (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) would drive him in to put the Pride ahead 1-0.
PNW would tack on another run in the top of the fourth, after Avondre Harris (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka) scored on an error from the Titans to go ahead 2-0.
Lindeman would drive in Crisler again in the top of the fifth inning, and would later score in the inning to help put the Pride up 4-0.
Another Titan miscue led to a fifth run for the Pride, who gave up just one run to IUSB in the bottom of the seventh to give PNW the 5-1 lead.
Senior pitcher Matt Sandoval (Highland, Ind./Bishop Noll) earned the win for the Pride on the mound, throwing 6.1 innings of work while allowing just three hits and striking out seven.
Mike Carnahan (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison) entered the game in relief to close the game out for the Pride, pitching 0.2 innings and striking out one.
Game 2: Warner 7, PNW 3
Warner University would strike first in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead, but the Pride would score two runs in the top of third to take its first lead of the game.
Lindeman would continue his dominance at the plate, driving in Crisler and Austin Kordik (West Chicago, Ill./Community) to put the Pride ahead 2-1.
Warner would answer back to retake the lead in the bottom half of the inning, but the Pride would even the score at 3-3 in the top of the sixth inning on an error from the Royals.
The Pride would give up three runs in the seventh, and one run in the eighth with Warner coming away with the 7-3 victory.
Junior Jimmy Skiff (Dyer, Ind./Andrean) started for the Pride on the mound, pitching six innings and striking out five while allowing three runs.
The Black and Gold wrap up its Florida trip Thursday, Mar. 16, with a game against Ave Maria University at 1 p.m. (CT).
Baseball Splits with Webber Tuesday The Purdue University Northwest baseball team split Tuesday’s doubleheader with Webber University, winning game 1, 8-7, before falling in the nightcap 7-3.
Game 1: PNW 8, Webber 7
The Black and Gold broke the bats out early in the first inning, starting off the game with a 2-0 lead thanks to a 2-RBI single from Hunter Thorn (Portage, Ind./Portage).
Alex Batistatos (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) would keep the inning alive with an RBI-groundout, which scored Jake Lindeman (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point), who extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single earlier in the inning.
Webber would get a run back in the bottom of the first, but the Pride would answer back in the top of the second on an RBI-single from Avondre Harris (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka)
The Warriors would take its first lead of the game in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a four-run inning, followed by scoring two runs in the fourth to take a 7-4 advantage.
PNW would battle back though, scoring three runs in the fifth thanks to a pair of RBI-doubles from Cody Moskovsky (St. John, Ind./Bishop Noll) and Brock Crews (Manteno, Ill./Manteno) to even the score at 7-7.
Crews would bring in Alec Skalka (Munster, Ind./Munster) on an RBI-groundout, which proved to be the game-winning run with the Pride winning 8-7.
Senior Brody Kutch (La Porte, Ind./ La Porte) earned the win on the mound, coming up clutch with 3.1 innings of shutout baseball in relief of starter Willie Bennett (Santee, Calif./West Hills).
Game 2: Webber 7, PNW 3
After the Warriors took a 6-0 lead heading in to the top of the fourth, Cody Moskovsky and Jonny Albers (Waterloo, Ind./Waterloo) would record RBI-singles to cut in to their deficit, 6-3.
Webber would tack on one more run in the bottom half of the bottom of the sixth, which was the last run either team would score, with the Warriors coming away with the 7-3 victory.
Zac Hernandez (Hebron, Ind./Hebron) got the start for the Pride on the hill, allowing five runs, two earned in two innings of work while Fabian Del Real (Calumet City, Ill./T.F. North) recorded three strikeouts in four innings of work for the Pride.
The Black and Gold return to action Wednesday, Mar. 15, when the Pride take on IU South Bend at 11:30 a.m. (CT). followed by a contest with Warner University at 2:30 p.m. (CT).
Softball Comes Back to Defeat Minnesota Crookston; Drops contest to Dickinson State The Purdue University Northwest Softball team fought back to mount a comeback over Minnesota Crookston, 12-6 in the nightcap, and dropped a 5-4 decision to Dickinson State earlier in the day.
Game 1: Dickinson State 5, PNW 4
The Black and Gold jumped out to an early lead over the Blue Hawks, after an RBI-single from Kyleigh Payne (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) drove in Olivia Sardella (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) who doubled to lead off the game.
Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster) would later score to put the Pride ahead 2-0.
Dickinson State would answer back in the bottom of the second inning with a pair of runs, before taking the lead in the top of the fourth with a three-run frame to go ahead 5-2.
PNW would battle back in the top half of the seventh, after Tessa Steffens (Litchfield, Ill./Litchfield) and Haley Loden (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) each scored to put the Pride within one, 5-4.
Dickinson State would hold off the Pride’s comeback effort and come away with the 5-4 win.
Game 2: PNW 12, Minnesota Crookston 6
The Golden Eagles scored one run in each of the first two innings to take a 2-0 lead, before scoring four runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead 6-0.
Purdue Northwest would fight back in the bottom of the fifth frame, putting up nine runs to take a 9-6 advantage.
Payne started things off with a bases loaded walk , followed by a sacrifice fly from Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) which cut their deficit to 6-2.
Steffens would drive in Kotzo on an RBI-single to make it 6-3, with some costly errors from the Golden Eagles putting helping the Pride even the score at 6-6.
Sardella would keep the inning alive with a 2-RBI single, followed by a sacrifice fly from Kotzo to cap off a nine-run frame.
The Pride would keep the bats alive in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to an RBI-double from Samantha Oppenhuis (Munster, Ind./Illiana Christian) followed by an RBI-groundout from Hannah Lopez (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany).
Loden would single to plate Oppenhuis to put the Pride ahead 12-6, with the Black and Gold holding off the Golden Eagles and complete the comeback.
Purdue Northwest will be back in action for its final games in Tucson, Ariz., facing off with Dickinson State at 4:30 p.m. (CT) before finishing with Huntington at 7:00 p.m. (CT).
PNW Softball Defeats Valley City; Falls to Mayville State in Nightcap The Purdue University Northwest softball team split Monday’s contests, defeating Valley City State 9-1, before falling to Mayville State, 2-0, in the nightcap.
Game 1: PNW 9, Valley City 1
With neither team scoring in the first two innings, the Black and Gold jumped ahead with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a solo home run from Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster).
Valley City would answer in the top half of the fourth to even the score at one run apiece, but the Black and Gold would retake the lead in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI-single from Kotzo that scored Alex Morales (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett).
The Pride would string together three runs in the bottom of the fifth, followed by a four-run sixth inning led by a 2-RBI double from Olivia Sardella (Dyer, Ind. Lake Central), to help give the Pride the 9-1 victory.
Junior Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) improved to 3-1 on the season, after throwing a complete game in the circle and striking out four batters. Game 2: Mayville State 2, PNW 0
After some Pride miscues gave Mayville State an early 2-0 lead, the Black and Gold held the Comets scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
PNW’s best chance to score was in the first inning, when the Pride had multiple runners on base but were unable to drive in any runs.
Caroline Brown (Minooka, Ill./Minooka Community) pitched a complete game for the Black and Gold, allowing just three hits.
The Pride are back in action tomorrow, when they face Dickinson State at 2:30 p.m. (CT) followed by a contest with Minnesota-Crookston at 4:30 p.m. (CT).
Deno, Michalski & Kiser Named Scholar-Athletes Three members of the Purdue University Northwest women’s basketball team have been named 2017 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes, as announced by the organization Saturday.
Senior Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central) and juniors Ellie Michalski (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) and Jessica Kiser (Noblesville, Ind./Nobelsville) all earned the honor, which is awarded to student-athletes who are at least a junior in academic standing and carry a minimum 3.5 grade point average.
Deno earned her second-straight honor after completing her career as the second-leading scorer in program history. The 6-foot shooting guard finished her four-year career with 2,228 points, netting a team-high 669 this season to average 20.3 per contest. Deno has earlier named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for the College Division and a First-Team all-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference selection.
Deno is majoring in hospitality and tourism management with an emphasis in fitness management and carries a 3.81 grade point average.
Michalski, a 6-foot-2 forward, had her best season so far of her career, starting all 33 games for the Pride and averaging a near-double-double with 9.0 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per contest, adding a team-best 49 blocks. She set a career-high in a win over Olivet Nazarene, scoring 29 points and pulling down 18 rebounds.
Michalski is majoring in history with an emphasis in social studies teaching and carries a 3.89 grade point average.
Kiser, a 5-foot-10 reserve guard for PNW, played in all 33 games for the Pride, averaging 17.3 minutes per contest while adding 2.3 points and 4.1 rebounds to go along with 46 assists, 27 steals and 12 blocks.
Kiser is majoring in mechanical engineering and carries a grade point average of 3.91.
