Feb. 27, 2000
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Thrilling. The only word that could describe the ten-inning pitcher's dual between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois State Redbirds is thrilling. In the Boilers' first extra inning contest of the season, Purdue defeated the Redbirds 2-1. The game's conclusion was the result of timely hitting, but the overall pitchers dual was the main attraction.
Opening the day on the hill for the Boilers was junior Ben Quick. Quick, a newcomer to the 2000 squad from Riverside Community College, came out strong, carrying a shutout through six innings of work before giving up a game-tying homerun to the Redbirds' Ryan Duncheon. Quick was solid, pitching 8.1 innings and only giving up a run on five hits. The battle on the other side of the field was just as fierce, as Redbird-Neal Cotts worked into the tenth inning with the game tied at one. The Boilers' opened up the game with a leadoff double by Chris Walker, and scored on a ground out by Erik Frei. This run would stand as the Boilers' lone run until the top of the tenth inning, when Nick McIntyre scored on a single by Walker. Junior Ben Kaebisch closed out the tenth inning for his first win of the season. Kaebish came in in the ninth to face Duncheon, who in the following at bat had tied the game with his fifth-career homer in Raymond C. Hand Park. Kaebisch got the big lefty to ground out to shortstop Mike Duursma, before closing out the inning with two strikeouts. Kaebsich ended the day with one hit and four strikeouts in 1.2 innings of relief.
"The home plate umpire had a large strike zone today, but both pitchers had great command and came out throwing some great pitches, which is why we saw the close game that we did," Purdue head coach Doug Schreiber said. "What Quick does is exactly what we emphasize, pitching-wise, on this ballclub. He has great command. He came here with a good fastball, and since then has developed an effective curve and a change up. Kaebisch came in strong. He has a bit of a fire in his belly, and he is willing to go out there and battle hitters."
With the outstanding pitching on the day, there was not very much evidence of offense. Leading the way for Purdue was Chris Walker who went 2-for-5 with a run scored and the winning RBI. Also having a productive day was Nick McIntyre who went 2-for-4. McIntyre crossed the plate for the winning run.
"In a close game like this, we didn't do everything we would have liked to, but the guys battled and fought hard and for that, win or lose, I was happy with the performance today," Schreiber said.
The Boilers will be back in action again on Tuesday, Feb. 29, as they travel to Evansville to face the Purple Aces in a 2:00 contest.