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baseball opens with weekend sweep BY BRANDAN ALFORD Subscriptions@GoldandBlack.com T he Boilermaker baseball team got the 2012 season off to a hot start with a 3-0 record on opening weekend. Purdue defeated Connecticut, Cincinnati and Notre Dame en route to a perfect record in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Boilers opened with a 9-4 win over Big East champion UConn in the opener on Saturday, using a pair of three-run frames in the seventh and eighth innings to overcome a late 4-3 deficit. Blake Mascarello earned the win with four innings of scoreless relief, allowing only two hits over four frames. Tyler Spillner reached Purdue base safely in all four of his at- Barrett Serrato was one of Purdue's hitting stars in its win over Notre Dame. The vicbats, scoring three runs. Purdue completed its Sat- tory gave the Boilermakers a perfect start to the season before heading to N.C. urday double-header with a 6-0 shutout of Cincinnati. The Bearcats were limited to three hits as three Boiler pitchers combined on the shutout. Lance Breedlove lasted seven innings, GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com striking out 11 and allowing only two hits. Andrew Dixon and Kevin Plawecki were a combined 6for-6 at the plate with three runs and three RBIs. Dixon was 4-for4 with a double while Plawecki went 2-for-2 with a triple. The Boilers completed the weekend with an offensive outburst in a 15-8 victory over Notre Dame. Purdue scored in the last five innings, including a nine-run frame in the sixth highlighted by a Cameron Perkins grand slam. Five Boilers had multi-hit efforts, headlined by Barrett Serrato's 3-for-5 effort at the plate with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Perkins finished with five RBIs in the contest with two runs, adding a single to his grand slam. Sean Collins got the win for Purdue, working 2 1/3 innings of relief, allowing only one run and three hits. Purdue returns to action this weekend when it travels to Greenville, N.C., for a three-game weekend against East Carolina, Maryland, and Western Carolina. come-from-behind victory over the previously unbeated Lobos (9-1). Erika Petruzzi and Ashley Courtney had big offensive weekends for Purdue. Petruzzi went 4-for-10 at the plate with six RBIs, four runs, a double, and two home runs in the four games. Courtney went 5-for-9 with five runs scored and four RBIs. On the mound, Lexy Moore went 30, pitching 10 1/3 innings in three appearances. Moore allowed only one unearned run while striking out six. The Boilers return to action this weekend when they travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for five games in the Frost Classic. Softball's Rains Wins Top Player Ashley Courtney Lexy Moore Sophomore outfielder Lindsey Rains was named Big Ten Player-of-the-Week for her efforts at the Lobo Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., last weekend. The Fullerton, Calif., native hit .556 to pace the Boilermakers as they got off to a perfect 4-0 start to the 2012 season. j Softball starts strong The Purdue softball team started the spring with an emphatic start, winning all four of its games in the New Mexico Lobo Classic this past weekend. The Boilers earned dominant wins over Bryant University and Northern Colorado on Saturday before settling in for another double-header sweep on Sunday against Central Arkansas and New Mexico. While Purdue outscored its four opponents 38-15, it took some late-inning excitement to complete the weekend sweep. The Boilers needed five runs in the final two innings to score a 10-6 Gold & Black IllustrateD • volume 22, express 22 • 26