Feb. 26, 2000
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Purdue (4-1) pounded out 20 hits in a 13-6 drubbing of the Austin Peay Governors (4-3). The Boilers won their fourth straight game this season, and up their record to 2-0 on this road trip. The Old Gold and Black banged out six doubles and three home runs in an offensive explosion, which included back-to-back homeruns in the third inning and back-to-back doubles in the sixth.
"Going into this game with the wind blowing out the way that it was, we knew we would have to put runs on the board to win," Purdue head coach Doug Schreiber said. "The important factor in this game was that we took a good approach to the game. We didn't try to hit it out of the ballpark, we tried to get base hits and move people around. With 20 hits today I think that we did a good job of that."
Leading the way for the Boilers was leadoff man Chris Walker. Walker came on strong in the opening series for Purdue against Vanderbilt, starting the season with a .417 batting average. The senior from Joliet, Ill., hit a skid in the Boilers fourth game this season, going 0-for-5 in Purdue's 6-3 victory over Western Kentucky, but came back strong in the Austin Peay game, going 4-for-5. Walker led off the game with a double to left-center field to put himself in scoring position. Walker would later score on a single by David Blomberg. Walker followed that with a walk in the fourth inning and three singles in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings. Of the 13 runs that the Boilers notched on the day, Walker crossed the plate for three of them.
"Walker and Blomberg did a great job today, creating things," Schreiber said. "They had seven base hits between the two of them and they did a good job of getting things done. When you have hitting like that to open the game, it becomes contagious."
Walker was joined by the brunt of the roster in his offensive efforts. Following Walker was second baseman Blomberg. The No. 2 man in the order, Blomberg created many opportunities and had some very timely hitting. Following his RBI in the first, he had a clutch single, followed by a stolen base in the fourth. Blomberg wrapped up the day with a two-run bomb, his first of the season, to up the score to 12-6. Also having solid days at the plate where seniors Erik Frei and Daryl Hallada, as well as juniors Nate Sickler and Kris Luce. Hallada came on strong after going 1-for-11 in the Boilers' first series, and going 1-for-4 in yesterday's game against the Hilltoppers. Hallada broke out in the second inning, blasting a homerun to right field for the Boilers' third run of the game. Hallada also had a single in the fourth and a double in the ninth. Frei has begun to resurface as an offensive threat in the 2000 season, after closing out the day with a homerun (2) and a double. Sickler and Luce combined for five hits, including two-consecutive doubles by Sickler. Sickler closed out the day going 2-for-4, while Luce finished up 3-for-4 with two runs.
Starting on the hill for the Boilers was David Gassner in his second start this season. Gasnner opened up the 2000 season with a win at Vanderbilt, giving up only one run in the complete game effort. He followed that performance with six solid innings of work, striking out seven and giving up four earned runs. Gassner was the first of four pitchers on the day for Purdue, as the bullpen got some much needed work in. Following Gassner was freshman Chadd Blasko. Blasko pitched an inning, giving up one run on one hit. Junior Ben Kaebisch followed Blasko. The junior from Colgate, Wis., came out strong, striking out the first two batters he faced, before leaving the game in the ninth with three strikeouts and one hit over 1 1/3 innings.
"I think Gassner pitched effectively under the circumstances," Schreiber said. "With the way we were producing each inning, there was a lot of pitching and sitting for long periods of time. That has a tendency to make a 90-100 pitch count feel like 120-130. With the wind blowing out the way that it was I think that he did a good job keeping control of the ballgame. He lost some control in the fifth, but came out of it with seven strikeouts, so I think he had a solid performance. Following Gassner, we got a chance to throw Blasko and Kaebisch, who both pitched very well, and O'Neill who was able to get his feet wet."
Purdue will conclude their road trip with a game against Illinois State on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.