May 2, 2003
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Friday nights are meant to be pitchers duels in college baseball, and the match-up between the Purdue Boilermakers and No. 25 Minnesota Golden Gophers proved to be just that. For the Boilermakers, however, the duel did not end the way they had hoped as Minnesota pulled off a 3-2 win in Minnesapolis.
Two Boilermaker pitchers limited the best hitting team in the Big Ten to just six hits and a .222 batting average in the game, but Minnesota's lone hurler yielded just five hits in a complete-game effort.
Mitch Pruemer (4-4) allowed two runs in the first inning before settling down, holding the Gophers to four hits and one run over the next 4.1 innings. Jason Driscoll tossed the last 2.2 innings without allowing a hit, permitting just one baserunner on a walk.
Minnesota's Glen Perkins hurled a complete game to improve his record to 7-1 on the season, striking out 12 batters in nine innings while yielding just one base on balls.
The Golden Gophers hit the scoreboard in the first inning against Pruemer on an Andy Hunter two-run single to center field with one out. The base hit scored Ben Pattee, who walked, and Luke Appert, who singled through the right side of the infield.
Minnesota stretched the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning when David Hrncirik doubled with one out and scored one out later on a triple to center off the bat of Tony Leseman.
The Boilermakers broke up a no-hit attempt by Perkins with one out in the sixth when Tyler Johnstone singled up the middle.
One inning later, Purdue drew to within one run with a two-run inning. Simon Klink led off the seventh with a double to right-center and went to third on a wild pitch. Ben Fritz picked up the RBI when he singled through the left side of the infield. With one down, Brad Kriner singled to give the Boilermakers two base runners for Mitch Koester, who singled to left to score Fritz. Kriner was thrown retreating back to second on the play, ending the Purdue threat with a 3-2 score.
Perkins retired the next six Purdue batters to end the game and hand Purdue its fifth straight conference loss.
Purdue and Minnesota return to Siebert Field on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. The games will be televised live on Fox Sports Net North.