April 3, 2002
Box Score
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -Behind strong pitching by the freshmen duo of Scott Byrnes and Brent Coudron, Purdue held Ball State to just one run and five hits in an 8-1 victory at Lambert Field. The victory was the Boilermakers' fourth straight victory and their eighth in the last nine games.
Ball State took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Kiel Holman's sacrifice fly scored Matt Deckman.
Purdue answered in the bottom half of the frame with a four-run outburst. Mitch Koester singled home John Gusich and Simon Klink before Adam Fazio singled home Brad Kriner. Koester eventually came around to score on a passed ball for a 4-1 lead.
The Boilermakers tallied two runs in the fourth inning when Fazio plated Kriner on a single. Nick McIntyre drove in Koester on a single to extend the Purdue advantage to 6-1.
Purdue added insurance with one run in both the sixth and seventh innings. Kris Luce doubled home Fazio in the sixth and John Gusich scored in the seventh on a double-play groundout.
Byrnes earned his first collegiate victory in his first start, allowing five hits and one earned run in 5.0 innings. Coudron pitched four hitless innings out of the bullpen to earn his first career save.
Fazio led the Boilermaker offense with four hits, matching his previous career-best set in the last home game on March 23 against Miami (Ohio). The sophomore Juco transfer has hit safely in his last nine games.
Mitch Koester added two hits and two RBI while Andy Rempel and Gusich added two hits each.
Purdue resumes Big Ten play with a four-game series at Illinois, beginning with a Friday night (6:30 CT) contest in Champaign. The Boilermakers are currently tied for first-place in the league with a 3-1 record.
Additional Game Notes
-Purdue is 3-0 at Lambert Field this season and is 17-3 in non-conference home games under Doug Schreiber.
-Scott Byrnes recorded his first collegiate victory in his first collegiate start.
-Brent Coudron earned his first collegiate save and has not allowed a run, walk or hit in 7.0 innings this season.
-Adam Fazio extended his hitting streak to nine games, dating to March 17 at Coastal Carolina. His four hits matched his career high set March 23 vs. Miami (Ohio).
-Mitch Koester tied career highs with two hits, two runs scored and two RBI.
-Brad Kriner's two runs scored equaled his career best, set eight times previously, last at Penn State on March 31.
-Today's victory was the first time that the Boilermakers have won a game this season when their opponent scores first.
BSU 010 000 000 - 1 5 3Purdue 040 201 10x - 8 12 0
W: Byrnes (1-1), L: Penn (0-1), SV: Coudron (1)