March 25, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- The Purdue baseball team extended their winning streak to five games while sweeping Michigan State 4-3 and 5-2 in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Lambert Field. The Boilermakers (13-6, 3-0) look to complete the four-game sweep of the Spartans (4-15, 0-3) when the series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
Freshmen Daniel Underwood, Nick McIntyre and Brad Kriner combined to go 8-for-16 with five RBIs while leading the offensive charge for the Boilers.
"They stepped up and got some big hits," said head coach Doug Schreiber. "They've stepped up and done a good job filling in for some of our big guys that are out right now."
In the opener, Underwood's two-run single in the fourth inning tied the game at 2-2 and he later scored the go ahead run on a single by Kriner. Underwood went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and RBIs in the first game.
First baseman Kyle Geswein then hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to tie the game for the Spartans. The Boilers answered in the sixth inning when Underwood doubled and then scored on a single by McIntyre to make the final 4-3.
Junior David Gassner (3-1) pitched six strong innings to pick up the win, allowing two earned runs off eight hits, five strikeouts and two walks. Senior Andy Helmer struck out the side in the final inning to earn his sixth save of the season.
Junior center fielder Nate Sickler got Purdue off to a good start in the second game when he hit his seventh home run of the season in his first at-bat to put them in the lead for good.
Third baseman Daryl Hallada ripped a two-run double in a three-run third inning to give Purdue a 4-0 advantage heading into the fourth. Hallada, 1-for-3 with three RBIs in game two, also knocked in the final run for the Boilers on a sacrifice fly in the following inning.
"We're still not exactly knocking the cover off of the ball, but we did get some timely hits," said Schreiber. "We're still a little tentative at the plate, but when you get some timely hitting, solid pitching and good defense, you're going to have a chance to win a lot of games."
Senior Jeremy Ballard (3-0) had a solid outing and threw six innings, giving up two runs on five hits, two strikeouts and one walk to earn the win. Junior Ben Kaebisch earned his first save while pitching a perfect final inning.