Boilermakers Country

Julia Gossett Powers Purdue Past Northwestern in Big Ten Softball Tournament

Julia Gossett threw more than 150 pitches, hit two home runs and powered Purdue to a 4-2 win over Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Dustin Schutte|
Purdue Boilermakers softball team in Big Ten Tournament
Purdue Boilermakers softball team in Big Ten Tournament | Big Ten Network on X

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Purdue Boilermakers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Wednesday night belonged to Julia Gossett. Throwing more than 150 pitches, hitting two home runs and accounting for three RBI, the sophomore star powered No. 12 seed Purdue to a 4-2 win over No. 5 seed Northwestern at Bittinger Stadium.

It's the first time the Boilermakers have advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Softball Tournament in 10 years.

Gossett got to work early in Wednesday's game, getting the first RBI of the night in the first inning to give her team an early 1-0 advantage. Northwestern's Isabel Cunnea tied things up with a solo home run in the second inning, but Purdue quickly regained the lead when Ashlyn Campbell brought Sage Scarmardo across home plate.

Purdue never looked back after that.

Gossett helped her cause in the fourth inning with a solo shot to give Purdue a 3-1 advantage. She would homer again in the seventh, accounting for three of the Boilers' four runs in the win.

The sophomore finished a complete game having thrown 153 pitches with 10 strikeouts, four walks, seven hits and two earned runs. Her record improved to 11-8 on the year with the win.

Perhaps the biggest swing in the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning, with Northwestern's offense knocking on the door. With runners at second and third and nobody out, Kelsey Nader hit a high foul ball that was chased down by Scarmardo. The third baseman made an impressive snag at the screen to record the first out.

Scarmardo made another excellent play when Northwestern attempted a squeeze play on the next at bat, getting the ball to catcher Delaney Reefe for the second out. The Wildcats' half of the inning ended on a Cunnea flyout.

Northwestern still had one final chance in the seventh inning, but left two runners on base.

In addition to Gossett's three-RBI night, Purdue also got an RBI from Campbell. Khloe Banks and Alivia Meeks each had two hits for the Boilermakers, while Scarmardo and Kylie Franks both had a hit.

At times, Wednesday night's game between Purdue and Northwestern resembled the movie Castaway. A total of 17 baserunners were left stranded for the night, nine of which were Boilers. But Purdue cashed in just enough to live another day in the Big Ten Tournament.

Purdue advances to the quarterfinal round to play No. 4 seed Ohio State on Thursday. The game is set for approximately 7 p.m. ET and will air on Big Ten Network.

The Buckeyes swept the Boilermakers in a three-game series during the regular season.

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BIG TEN TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The 2025 Big Ten Softball Tournament has arrived. Twelve teams will compete for a chance to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, beginning Wednesday. CLICK HERE

WOMEN'S GOLF HEADED TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Thanks to some clutch performances in a playoff with Texas A&M on Tuesday, the Purdue women's golf team is headed to the NCAA National Championship. CLICK HERE

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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.

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