May 1, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Despite keeping games close, the Purdue baseball team was unable to pull out a win against Minnesota in a double header on Saturday at Siebert Field. The Golden Gophers took both games from the Boilermakers, 6-3 and 2-0.
Purdue is now 20-21 overall and 9-10 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have lost their last 11 games against Minnesota, who improved to 13-6 in the conference and 26-15 overall.
In the early game of the twinbill, Purdue and Minnesota traded offensive blows early before the Golden Gophers were able to grab the lead with a four-run fifth inning.
Purdue loaded the bases in the first inning but was unable to push across a run, stranding three runners on base. The Boilermakers did make a dent in the scoreboard in the second inning when junior Andy Dahl (Fair Oaks, Calif.) launched his third home run of the season over the left field fence.
Minnesota tied the score in the bottom of the second and then grabbed the lead in the fourth inning with single runs in each frame. The Boilermakers answered in the fifth with a run to knot the score at 2-2. Sophomore John Hunter (West Lafayette, Ind.) singled and moved to second on a walk to senior Simon Klink (Auburn, Ind.). Freshman Eric Osborn (Fishers, Ind.) picked up the RBI with a base hit to center that scored Hunter to tie the game.
Four hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch in the home half of the fifth gave Minnesota the lead, scoring four runs in the inning.
Purdue inched back with a run in the top of the seventh, but again left the bases loaded as the game ended. Back-to-back two-out singles by Eric Wolfe (Toronto, Ontario) and Osborn were followed by a hit-by-pitch taken by Dahl allowed senior Mitch Koester (Effingham, Ill.) to pick up the RBI with a single. However, that would be all the Boilermakers could muster in the inning.
The Boilermakers left 13 runners on base in the seven-inning contest, out-hitting the Golden Gophers 11-9.
A pitcher's duel was the call in the nightcap as senior Brian Karpel (Lakewood, Ohio) and Craig Molldrem matched efforts. The Golden Gophers were able to break through against Karpel with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to post the victory.
Purdue out-hit the Golden Gophers in Game Two, 6-4, but was unable to string hits together to get on the scoreboard. The shutout was the second suffered by the Boilermakers in the weekedn series.
The Boilermakers return to Siebert Field on Sunday afternoon for the series finale against the Golden Gophers. Purdue and Minnesota start Game Four at 1 p.m.