The Scarlet Knights have their backs against the wall. With the chance to punch their ticket to the Big Ten Conference Tournament with six games remaining, the Knights could only take one of the three games against Purdue, and now have the slimmest of chances to make the postseason.
Trailing both the Boilermakers and the Spartans, Rutgers went into the final stretch of their schedule against the very teams they were looking to pass, and due to the mixed results against Purdue, they now find themselves in the unenviable position of needing to win the final three games of the season while looking for some outside assistance.
After opening the series against Purdue with a win 4-1, in the first game of the April 29 doubleheader, the Knights lost a heartbreaker in the nightcap, 3-2, in 12 innings.
Ashley Hitchcock pitched brilliantly in game one, throwing a complete game and only surrendering a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Meanwhile, her teammates made judicious use of their seven hits, scoring four runs, led by Maddie Lawson’s two RBI.
But Jaden Vickers, pitching the second half of the doubleheader, would not be as fortunate. Vickers put in a Herculean effort, going into the twelfth inning while tossing 225 pitches (just seven short of the NCAA record) before walking home the winning run in the home half of inning 12.
For the Knights it was a bitter pill to swallow, as they had once again limited the Boilermakers to less than four runs and could not come away with the victory.
That set the stage for the decisive third game of the series on Sunday, May 1. The wind was blowing out on Senior Day for the Boilermakers, and after the Knights left two runners on the bags in the top of the first, Purdue took full advantage of the weather conditions.
Two solo home runs in the bottom of the first inning off Hitchcock gave the Boilermakers the early lead, 2-0, before Vickers replaced Hitchcock in the second inning. The Boilermakers added four more in the second, staking themselves to a 6-0 lead.
Even more frustrating was the fact that the Knights had their chances, leaving runners on the bases throughout the game. In fact, while the Knights collected three walks and 10 hits, they left 10 runners on the basepaths during the game. It was not until Payton Lincavage belted a solo home run in the fifth inning that the Knights scored their first and only run, eventually falling to Purdue, 8-1.
The final series of the regular season begins on Friday, May 6 at the Rutgers Softball Complex. The Scarlet Knights will host Michigan State, with no margin for error.
The Spartans defeated Maryland 2-1 on Sunday, May 1 to push their record to 24-27, and 4-16 in the Big Ten. Rutgers currently stands at 25-28, and is 3-17 in conference play. Winning two of the three games would only give the Knights five wins in the conference.
The Boilermakers, currently 22-29 overall, are 5-14 in conference play. It therefore becomes essential that the Knights sweep the Spartans in the series while hoping that the Iowa Hawkeyes, currently 2-18 in conference play and 19-29 overall, can somehow sweep the weekend series against Purdue.
The Hawkeyes are currently mired in a four-game losing streak, but will be home at the Bob Pearl Softball Field for the final series of the season. Iowa is only 2-8 at home this season, but the Hawkeyes do hold the overall record over the Boilermakers historically, 37-16, going back to 1999.
Rutgers game time on Friday for the contest against Michigan State is currently set for 3:00 p.m.
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