March 4, 2000
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Purdue baseball lost for its first time in eight games, as the Alabama Crimson Tide evened the series at one game apiece, with a 9-4 win on Saturday. Purdue falls to 7-2 on the season, losing its first game this year since losing the season opener to Vanderbilt on Feb. 18. The Tide move to 11-5 on the year. Purdue is now 3-2 against SEC competition in 2000, and 2-2 all-time against Alabama.
"We didn't do what it takes, mentally or physically, to win today," Purdue head coach Doug Schreiber said. "We had wasted opportunities offensively and too many mistakes defensively."
The Boilers opened up the game with a positive start, as designated hitter Brad Kriner opened the game with a leadoff walk. Kriner would come around to score on David Blomberg's double, to open the scoring for the game. The early-inning scoring was cut short, as Tide-pitcher Jonathan Blankenship retired the next three batters, including a strikeout of Daniel Underwood to end the inning. Blomberg was left at second, in what would become the first of 11 runners left of base. Blankenship made it through the third with five strikeouts and only giving up two hits. With the score 4-1 heading into the fourth, the Boilers opened up with back-to-back homeruns by Nate Sickler and Kris Luce. This was Sickler's second homerun in two games, and was his fifth hit in six at-bats. Luce's shot was the first of two hits on the day. With no Boilers out in the fourth, and impending rally seemed inevitable. However, Blankenship got Mike Duursma, Brad Kriner and Erik Frei to all fly out to the outfield, leaving two more runners on base, and leaving Alabama with a 4-3 lead. `Bama followed the two-run Purdue inning with a run off Brent Boyd's second consecutive home run of the night, before breaking the game open in the sixth with four more runs to earn their starter the win.
In a game which, at times, could have gone either way, it appeared the Purdue mistakes made the difference as the Boilers had a costly error on a pop fly hit to short left field, which allowed two runs to score, as well as a missed opportunity in the seventh. With Blomberg opening the inning with a ground out to second, Erik Frei followed with a one-out single. Hallada followed that, reaching on an error by the Tide's second baseman. With runners at first and second, Blankenship walked the bases loaded with an outside pitch to Daniel Underwood. After throwing a high ball out of the strike zone to Nate Sickler, the Tide opted to go with James Carroll. Sickler popped out on a short foul pop to the third baseman, which failed to score a run. Kris Luce followed that with a strikeout to get Carroll out of the inning unscathed.
David Gassner went five innings for the Boilers, giving up nine hits and six earned runs for the loss. Gassner came into today's game with a 3.00 earned run average and left with a 4.95 ERA. The Boilers' leader in strikeouts this season (18) struck out two and walker four. Purdue also threw Travis Dorsch (0.2 IP, 1 hit, 1 run), Jeremy Ballard (0.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs), Sean O'Neill (1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs) and Jim Davies (1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs). This was Davies first appearance of the season.
Purdue will end the three-game set with Alabama on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. (CT) finale. The Boilers' probable starter will be Ben Quick (1-0, 1.17 ERA), while the Crimson Tide will send righty Scott Murphy (2-0, 3.77 ERA).