Courtesy of Utah State Athletics –
COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – Utah State softball (3-2, 0-0 MW) wrapped up opening weekend with an eight-inning victory Sunday morning, defeating Purdue 4-3 at the Texas A&M-hosted Aggie Classic. This was USU’s first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2016.
The Aggies were sparked by an outstanding performance in the circle from junior pitcher Rylie Pindel, who pitched the full eight innings. In 107 tosses, she faced 33 hitters and allowed just two earned runs, while throwing a pair of strikeouts and walking just one batter.
Utah State continued its trend of hot hitting in the first inning, batting in a pair of runs to jump to an early 2-0 advantage. A double down the right field line got senior infielder Ariel Fifita aboard, followed by a base on balls for junior catcher Grace Matej. With two outs on the board, sophomore infielder Emerson Meggers delivered a triple out to center field to bring them both home and give the Aggies an early edge.
The 2-0 lead held until the third inning, when the Boilermakers jumped on top. A fielding error followed by a pair of bunt singles loaded the bases for Purdue before recording an out, eventually scoring on a fielder’s choice, a stolen base and a single before registering back-to-back outs to limit the damage.
After an early second inning pitching change by Purdue, Utah State was held hitless by the replacement pitcher, Kendall Klochack, for 4.2 innings. But in the seventh, the Boilermakers made yet another change in the circle, and the Aggies immediately made them pay. A double from junior infielder Alex Bunton was followed by a game-tying triple for senior outfielder Olivia Marble to send things to extra innings at 3-3.
Pindel made quick work of the Boilermakers in the top of the eighth, getting through three hitters in just six pitches. In the bottom of the inning, with junior infielder Kenzee Hale placed on second, USU quickly loaded the bases with walks by freshman outfielder Faith Kroening and sophomore outfielder Tatum Silva. Matej then stepped up to the plate and, with a single to left field, secured the walk-off win for the Aggies.
In total, Utah State registered six hits, with no player recording more than one. USU had four players reach base on balls, with just four strikeouts in the contest.
Up Next
Utah State (3-2, 0-0 MW) will compete in the Cal Baptist Classic next weekend from Feb. 14-16 in Riverside, California, where it will play five games against the field of Seattle, San Diego and California Baptist.
For more information on the Utah State softball program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUSoftball, on Facebook at USUSoftball and on Instagram at ususoftball.
– USU –
