April 8, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - John Manuel doubled three times and Nick McIntyre launched his tenth home run of the season as the Purdue baseball team defeated IPFW on Tuesday, 10-4, at Lambert Field. The win improves Purdue to 15-12 while the Mastadons fall to 11-14-1.
Manuel was 4-5 at the plate with three doubles, pacing the 12-hit Boilermaker attack. In the eighth inning, McIntyre connected for his tenth home run of the season and eighth in ten days, a span of seven games.
Purdue's bats were quiet at the start of the game as the Old Gold and Black had only five hits in the first six innings. A three-hit inning in the seventh and four more hits in the eighth produced six runs, breaking a 4-4 tie and giving the Boilermakers their fourth win in five games.
IPFW jumped on the scoreboard first, scoring three runs in the opening inning off Purdue starter Jesse Krause. Krause lasted just 0.2 innings, yielding three runs on two hits with three walks.
Purdue closed the gap to 3-2 in the second inning thanks to two Mastadon miscues. Ben Fritz reached base on a throwing error by the IPFW shortstop to lead off the inning and Manuel hit his first double to score Fritz all the way from first. Neal Gorka's grounder to short was also thrown high, giving the Boilermakers two base runners. A doubleplay ball pushed home Manuel from third with Purdue's second run of the game.
A single run by IPFW in the fourth was answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning as Gorka drove a 3-1 pitch off the scoreboard in right-center field to make the score 4-3 in favor of the Mastadons.
Purdue tied the game in the sixth after Manuel doubled to begin the inning and moved to third on a Gorka groundout. Brad Kriner entered the game for Purdue as a pinch hitter and picked up an RBI on a ground ball to short, scoring Manuel.
The Boilermakers would blow the game open in the seventh with four runs on three hits. Mitch Koester drew a leadoff walk and Tyler Johnstone layed down a bunt to the first base side of the mound for a basehit. A passed ball by IPFW's Adam Gibson moved the runners up 90 feet and Simon Klink drove a 2-2 pitch to right-center for a two-run triple, giving Purdue a 6-4 lead. After a pitching change and a walk to Fritz, another passed ball scored Klink from third with the third run of the inning. Manuel singled and a wild pitch moved him to second and Fritz to third base. Kriner picked up a second RBI on a groundout, this time going to second and pushing Fritz home.
Leading 8-4, Purdue would tack on two insurance runs in the eighth inning. With one out in the frame, McIntyre jacked a 2-1 pitch deep over the right field wall. Klink followed with a single through the right side of the infield and Manuel drove his third double of the day to right, scoring Klink with the final run of the game.
The Boilermakers received quality work from the bullpen as five relievers threw 8.1 innings and allowed just one run on six hits, striking out 12.
Jason Driscoll (2-1) picked up the win after pitching a scoreless seventh inning, fanning two. The game was closed by Matt Skripsky and Dustin Glant, who faced a combined six batters and struck out four, three by Glant.
Trae Dauby pitched 3.1 innings and allowed one run before Jay Buente threw two scoreless innings to set up Driscoll for the win.
Tyler Johnstone and Simon Klink each had two hits on the day, and Tug Gillingham picked up his first collegiate hit, a single in the second inning.
Purdue hits the road this weekend for a four-game Big Ten series with Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. The series is scheduled to begin on Friday with a 3 p.m. single game, and will feature a 1 p.m. twinbill on Saturday before concluding with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.