EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Purdue scored four times in the bottom of the sixth Wednesday as the Boilermakers edged SIUE softball 5-1 in a nonconference battle.

SIUE dropped to 15-21 and now heads to Evansville, Indiana, for a three-game series against Ohio Valley Conference newcomer Southern Indiana. The schedule has two games set for Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and a single game Sunday starting at noon.

The Cougars went toe to toe with the Big Ten foes. Purdue scored first with an RBI single by Jade Moy.

Paige Rocha tied the score for the Cougars in the third inning with her team-leading fifth home run of the season. Rocha lifted the ball over the fence in right-center field off Purdue starter Alex Echazarreta.

"Rocha extended her hitting streak to six games with that home run," said SIUE Head Coach Ben Sorden of the Ohio Valley Conference's reigning Player of the Week. "She smoked that ball into the wind well over 220 feet."

SIUE finished with five hits, outhitting the Boilermakers overall 5-4. Lexi King would have one of those hits to improve her hitting streak to nine games and her reached base streak to 13 games.

Both King and Rocha head into weekend play batting better than .400. King stands at .412 while Rocha is holding at .406.

Purdue would take advantage of its opportunity to score in the sixth tallying four runs overall, including a two-run triple by Jordyn Ramos.

Sydney Baalman took the loss in relief and is now 7-8 overall for the Cougars. Madi Elish improved to 7-2 for Purdue, also in a reliever role.