IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa softball team fell to Purdue, 5-1, on Friday at Pearl Field in the first of a three-game weekend series.
Sophomore Denali Loecker got the start in the circle for the Hawkeyes throwing five innings with one strikeout and taking the loss.
Senior Breanna Vasquez threw two innings of relief with four strikeouts.
Four players recorded a hit: Loecker, junior Sophia Maras, sophomore Grace Banes, and freshman Rylie Moss. An RBI was attributed to Banes.
Iowa’s run came from freshman pinch runner Zoe Schulte.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Purdue (22-29, 5-14) scored first, plating two in the third inning.
The Boilermakers added two more in the fifth, and their final run in the sixth.
Iowa (20-29, 2-18) scored its run in the sixth inning. Junior Kalena Burns walked with Schulte entering as the pinch runner. Maras was then hit-by-pitch. With runners on first and second, Banes drove a single to right field, bringing home Schulte.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH RENEE GILLISPIE
“We hit the ball hard tonight. Burns had a great shot to left field, and we had a lot of line drives that were caught. It wasn’t that we weren’t hitting the ball hard, it was that we were hitting them right at people and we weren’t getting the clutch hits we needed. We need to stay focused on what we need to do.”
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes and Purdue will play game two of the series tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. (CT). Fans are encouraged to arrive early as parking may be limited.