March 28, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue nine unleashed an offensive attack in the sixth inning not seen before during the 2004 season as the Boilermakers bombed Western Michigan at Lambert Field on Sunday, 12-1. Purdue scored a season-best eight runs in the inning, helping the Boilermakers to even their record at 9-9 on the year.
Through 23 innings during the weekend, Purdue had managed six runs. In the sixth frame on Sunday, the Boilermakers sent 13 batters to the plate, six which reached via a base hit, and scored eight runs to blow open a 2-0 game en route to the 11-run victory.
In the game, Purdue collected 11 hits, the seventh time in the last eight games that the Boilermakers have reached the double-digit hit plateau in a game. In the last eight contests, Purdue has 104 hits and a .361 batting average.
The Boilermakers initially got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning with a single run when senior third baseman Simon Klink (Auburn, Ind.), who reached base on a walk, scored from second base when a ground ball off the bat of left fielder Mitch Hilligoss (Fr., Windsor, Ill.) was mishandled on the attempt to force second baseman Eric Orborn (Fr., Fishers, Ind.) out at second.
Purdue scored a single run the following inning when right fielder Andy Dahl (Jr., Fair Oaks, Calif.) launched the first pitch of the inning over the left field wall for his first home run of the season.
The floodgates opened in the sixth for the Boilermakers. Hilligoss lined a single into left center with the bases loaded, scoring Osborn and first baseman Eric Wolfe (So., Toronto, Ontario) to open the inning. Three batters later with the bases again loaded, center fielder Mike Coles (Jr., Hammond, Ind.) picked up an RBI with a single to right. Senior catcher Ben Fritz (Minnetonka, Minn.) stepped to the plate with the bases full and unleashed on the first pitch, towering a grand slam over the left field wall for a 9-0 Purdue lead. Wolfe came up three batters later with two on and singled in Klink, who had singled, from second to close the inning's scoring.
Western Michigan did away with Purdue's bid for a second consecutive shutout with a run in the top of the seventh on a RBI double by Jarrett Juergenson, scoring pinch hitter Trevor Manuel from first.
The Boilermakers closed the scoring with a two-run response in the home half of the seventh. Osborn's two-out, two-run single plated Dahl and redshirt freshman Spencer Ingaldson (Rapid City, S.D.). Dahl had doubled to lead off the inning and Ingaldson reached on a fielder's choice.
Redshirt freshman pitcher Dan Sattler (West Lafayette, Ind.) picked up his third win of the season, tossing 6.0 innings of work without allowing a run. Sattler yielded three hits while striking out six batters.
Fritz, Osborn and Dahl led the Boilermaker offense with two hits each, while Fritz drove home four runs and Osborn and Hilligoss each picked up two RBI.
Purdue returns to Lambert Field for the fifth and final game of a five-game home stand on Wednesday, March 31, when the Boilermakers face Ball State. First pitch is scheduled for 3PM.