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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The University of Iowa softball team (14-10, 0-1) fell to the Purdue Boilermakers (21-9, 1-0), 3-2, in the team’s Big Ten opener inside Bittinger Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Junior DoniRae Mayhew hit her third home run of the season in her first Big Ten at-bat in the first inning. In the circle, junior Allison Doocy recorded eight strikeouts in a complete game effort.
HEAR FROM COACH GILLISPIE
“It was tough, but Purdue did a great job. They made some adjustments in the circle and we weren’t able to make our own adjustments soon enough. We were hitting the ball hard, but we were hitting it to people and we will make those adjustments tomorrow. The biggest thing Purdue was throwing was the changeup and she threw that a lot for strikes. We weren’t able to get behind it and do anything with it. In the circle, Doocy did a fantastic job today on moving the ball and keeping them guessing.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hawkeyes got on the board quickly in the first inning. Senior Mallory Kilian got aboard with a single to bring up junior DoniRae Mayhew, who go ahead in the count 3-0. On a 3-1 pitch, Mayhew launched a home run over the left field fence to give Iowa a 2-0 lead.
After the second inning, the Iowa bats went dormant and the game became a pitching duel between Doocy and Purdue’s Kaitlynn Moody.
Doocy gave up runs in the second and third inning, evening the score at 2, but remained in control, pitching out of a jam in the fifth inning with runners on first and second and a bases loaded situation in the sixth with one out.
In the bottom of the seventh, Purdue struck quickly with a single to center and a game-winning triple down the left field line to take game one of the series.
NOTABLES
Freshman Abby Lien recorded her second triple of the season in the first inning.
UP NEXT
Iowa finishes its three-game series at Purdue tomorrow with a doubleheader. The first game is slated for a 1 p.m. (CT) first pitch with the second game commencing 30 minutes after the first game completes. Watch both games on FloSoftball/BTN2Go or listen to the games on Hawkeye All-Access.
