May 13, 2001
The Purdue baseball team won its 31st game of the season thanks to the pitcher bearing the number 31, Chadd Blasko. The Boilermakers downed visiting Iowa in game one of its Sunday doubleheader, 3-1. Blasko improved to 6-5 on the season, pitching a complete-game victory. It also marked the 10th victory of his career in just his sophomore year.
After Iowa took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Blasko shut down the Hawkeyes, allowing only four more baserunners for the rest of the day. He finished his fourth complete game allowing Iowa to just five hits, no walks and striking out five. Blasko also lowered his ERA to 3.89, lowest among the Purdue starting rotation.
Purdue got one run back in the third inning. Daniel Underwood walked with one out, then moved to second after Dave Blomberg grounded out to first. Underwood scored from second on a Nick McIntyre single, evening the score at 1-1.
The Boilermakers took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. Nate Sickler led off with a single, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Sickler then scored on John Gusich's second hit of the game, giving Purdue its first lead of the day. They added an insurance run in the fifth inning when Mike Duursma scored on a Blomberg single. Duursma led off the inning with a triple.
NOTES - David Harrell threw out three Iowa baserunners attempting to steal second, giving him a total of 11 baserunners thrown out this season ... Gusich led all batters with a 2-for-3 performance, including a go-ahead RBI in the fourth inning.