May 2, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - After three games in which the Boilermakers scored just three runs, the Purdue baseball team was hunting for some offense and John Hunter stepped up and provided just that as Purdue cruised past the Golden Gophers on Sunday afternoon at Siebert Field, 15-6.
Sophomore John Hunter (West Lafayette, Ind.) lit up Minnesota pitching for three home runs and nine RBI and sophomore pitcher Chris Toneguzzi (Thunder Bay, Ontario) went six innings for his third win of the season. Toneguzzi (3-3) struck out five batters and scattered nine hits for the victory.
Hunter's trifecta was the first three-homer game for a Boilermaker since Daniel Underwood hit three out against Iowa on April 18, 2003, in Purdue's 9-5 victory at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City. The nine RBI by Hunter missed tying the Big Ten record by one, a record set by Brian Wujcik of Iowa in 1989 and tied a year later by Michigan's Dan Ruff.
The win for the Boilermakers evened their season record to 21-21 and 10-10 in the Big Ten. Minnesota is 26-16 and 13-7. The win for Purdue is the first over Minnesota since the 2001 season, snapping an 11-game losing streak to the Gophers.
Purdue opened the game with a bang, a big bang, as sophomore John Hunter (West Lafayette, Ind.) drilled the second pitch he saw from Gopher pitcher Matt Loberg in the top of the first over the left field wall for a grand slam. The bases were full of Boilermakers after Loberg hit junior Mike Coles (Hammond, Ind.), freshman Mitch Hilligoss (Windsor, Ill.) and sophomore Eric Wolfe (Toronto, Ontario) each with a pitch. The Old Gold and Black tacked on a fifth run in the inning on a single by junior Andy Dahl (Fair Oaks, Calif.) off new hurler Andy Peters that brought senior Simon Klink (Auburn, Ind.) around from second. Klink singled to follow Hunter's bomb and moved to second when senior Mitch Koester (Effingham, Ill.) coaxed a walk that forced Loberg from the game.
Hunter's grand blast was the second of the season for the Boilermakers. Senior Ben Fritz (Minnetonka, Minn.) hit a four-run shot against Western Michigan on March 28 in Purdue's 12-1 victory at Lambert Field.
Hunter nearly did it again the following inning, taking a Peters offering over the right-center field wall for a three-run homer. Fritz singled with one out and was advanced 90-feet on a base hit by Wolfe to set up the Hunter longball.
Minnesota joined the name game in the home half of the second when Andy Hunter connected on a solo home run to center to put the Gophers on the scoreboard. The Gophers added three runs in the third to cut the Boilermaker lead to 8-4.
Purdue answered the call in the fourth with four runs. Singles by Hilligoss and Fritz and an intentional pass to Hunter brought up Klink, who lofted a sacrifice fly to left to plate Hilligoss. A double down the line by Koester and a single to right off the bat of freshman Rob Brockel (Pewaukee, Wis.) scored three more runs to lift the Boilermakers to an eight-run advantage, 12-4.
With senior Jason Driscoll (Mishawaka, Ind.) on the mound, the Gophers had one runner cross the plate in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to center by Hunter that scored Matt Fornasiere, who had doubled with one out and moved to third on a single by Mike Mee.
The Boilermakers responded to the Minnesota run with two in the eighth, and again it was Hunter with a home run. With Hilligoss standing on third after a single and two ground outs, Hunter unleashed on an offering from Brian Bull and lined a shot just to the left of the 360 mark in left-center for his third home run of the game and seventh of the season.
In the top of the ninth, Dahl joined Hunter on the Purdue home run parade with a solo blast to left, his fourth of the season. Minnesota scored a run in the last half of the ninth, but it was not enough as the Boilermakers won by nine.
Hunter ended the game 3-4 at the plate with four runs scored and nine RBI. Hilligoss added three hits and Brockel drove home two runs. Driscoll picked up his fourth save of the season, pitching the final three innings of the contest.
Purdue returns home to Lambert Field for a four-game Big Ten series against Michigan. The Boilermakers ended the 2003 season with three wins against the Wolverines in West Lafayette.