March 14, 2000
DURHAM, N.C. - The Purdue baseball team lost for the third straight time today, dropping the first game of a two game set with the Duke Blue Devils, 8-2. Purdue left 12 runners on base and struggled offensively in the loss. The loss dropped Purdue to 7-4 on the season and moved Duke to 6-17.
"Our offense just didn't produce today," Purdue head coach Doug Schreiber said. "We had nine free bases through walks and hit batsmen, and we didn't convert them into runs. Sean O'Neil and Jim Davies both pitched well in relief, but our offense came up short."
Opening the day on the hill for Purdue was senior Russ Morgan. The Boilers No. 1starter got hit in the first inning, as the Devils' first two batters got aboard with back-to-back singles. Purdue catcher Erik Frei made an attempt to pick off J.D. Alleva at second, but overthrew the ball. With runners at second and third, Morgan faced off against Wes Goodner, who knocked in two runs with a single to right field. Morgan got out of the inning with only two runs scored, and worked into the third without giving up another run. In the fourth inning, after walking the first batter Morgan faced, Kevin Kelly singled. Larry Broadway, the Devils' first baseman followed with a home run to right field to put the game out of reach for Purdue.
Morgan came out after pitching 3.1 and giving up seven runs and 10 hits, and Sean O'Neil came in to pitch the next three innings. O'Neil ended the day with 3.2 IP, giving up five hits and no earned runs. Jim Davies ended the day for Purdue with 1.0 IP with a walk.
The Boilers offensive struggles were evident due to the fact that they only two batters with more than one base hit, and no extra base hits. Brad Kriner led Purdue, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Daniel Underwood had a 2-for-4 performance as well. The Boilermakers closed out the day with eight hits and seven walks.
Purdue will finish their two game series with Duke tomorrow. David Gassner will take his 2-1 record to the hill for Purdue. Gassner leads Purdue with 18 strikeouts this season.