April 28, 2001
Dave Gassner pitched a complete-game shutout, leading the Boilermakers to a 1-0 win in game two of a doubleheader. The Boilermakers improve to 26-18 overall, 16-5 in the Big Ten, 12-2 on the road in conference play.
Purdue scored its run in the first inning. Dave Blomberg singled to center field then scored from second after Nick McIntyre hit a solid double to right. David Harrell singled through to the right side, advancing McIntyre to third. McIntyre was unable to score, but that would be all the offense they would need.
In Gassner's ninth start of the season. He struck out one batter and gave up just one hit in the first, a blooper to Gassner that leadoff hitter Dan Haegele was able to turn into a base hit. . He retired the next ten batters in a row before giving up a single to Blake St. Clair with one out in the fourth inning.
Mike Duursma dropped a double into left field in the second inning, Purdue's only hit of the inning. Gassner added another strikeout in a second, along with forcing a pair of groundouts to keep the Hoosiers off the board. He then struck out the side in the third inning. He had five strikeouts and only allowed one baserunner through his first three innings of work.
Vasili Spanos was Gassner's sixth strikeout victim before St. Clair was thrown out by Harrell, attempting to steal second.
Duursma became the Boilermaker of the day with two hits, as he added a one-out single to left field in the first inning. Duursma then added his sixth stolen base of the year to put himself in scoring position with two outs, after Daniel Underwood struck out on a bunt. He advanced to third after the Indiana shortstop bobbled the pickoff throw from the pitcher, but did not score.
Gassner retired the side in the Indiana fifth, forcing a groundout to third, a fly out to center field and a line out to second base. The Hoosiers inserted pinch-hitter Romero for Wargo, and he struck out, Gassner's seventh of the game. They tried another pinch-hitter, substituting Josh Woodside for centerfielder Steve Kemp, but Gassner gunned him down as well. He forced a groundout to second to end the inning, keeping his shutout intact.
After the Boilermakers were retired for the side in the sixth and seventh innings, it was up to Gassner to continue to keep Indiana off the scoreboard. In the bottom of the seventh, he forced a pair of fly outs to right field and center field, then closed the game by striking out Spanos, his ninth strikeout of the game.
It was Gassner's third consecutive complete game, his second complete game shutout of the season. He improves to 5-4.
NOTES - The victory marks Doug Schreiber's 85 career victory at Purdue ... he now holds fifth-place for career coaching victories ... Gassner has struck out nine batters in each of his last two starts, and has walked just one batter in his last two starts combined ... In his last six starts, Gassner has struck out 48 batters and walked just seven ... Gassner is fifth on Purdue's all-time list for career strikeouts with 207 strikeouts, needing just nine more to pass Russ Morgan and move into fourth place ... he is still sixth in career innings pitched with 263.1, just six innings behind Bob Hallas (1979-82) for fifth place ... McIntyre's double was his 14th of the season ... Duursma leads the Boilermakers through the series thus far, going 4-for-9 (.444) with two RBI and a double ... Gusich is 3-for-9 through the three-game series ... Purdue has collected 93 doubles this season, 14 away from tying last year's record of 107.