April 27, 2004
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Behind a combined pitching effort from Andrew Groves and Jason Driscoll, Purdue posted its sixth shutout of the season and 20th win of the season, blanking the IPFW Mastodons at Wizards Field, 2-0, in front of a crowd of 627.
The Boilermakers are now 20-18 on the season, while IPFW falls to 18-24.
Purdue starting pitcher Andrew Groves (North Liberty, Ind.) went the first six innings to improve his reocrd to 1-1, keeping the Mastodons scoreless on four hits. Groves struck out two batters without allowing a walk and stranded four IPFW runners in scoring position, three on third base.
Junior Mike Coles (Hammond, Ind.) opened the contest with a double past a diving Zach Walton in right field and moved to third on an error when IPFW pitcher Casey Rohan's pickoff attempt sailed into centerfield. Senior Ben Fritz (Minnetonka, Minn.) followed with a ground ball to second base that score Coles with Purdue's first run of the game.
In the eighth inning, senior Mitch Koester (Effingham, Ill.) led off with a single and moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by Coles. Fritz singled to put runners on the corners for senior Simon Klink (Auburn, Ind.), who put down a successful bunt to squeeze Koester in from third, giving Purdue a 2-0 lead.
Senior reliever Jason Driscoll (Mishawaka, Ind.) was on the mound for the final three innings for the save, his third of the year. Driscoll allowed two hits and struck out three.
The Boilermakers hit the Big Ten road this weekend, as they travel to Minneapolis for a four-game conference series with Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are tied for first in the Big Ten with a 10-6 league record, while Purdue is 9-7, tied for third. First pitch of Game One is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday.