March 6, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - Purdue took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning but was unable to hold down No. 16 Mississippi as the Rebels came away with a 13-6 victory on Sunday afternoon at Swayze Field. Mitch Pruemer started on the mound for the Boilermakers and turned in 6.1 innings of work but was hit for the loss, falling to 1-1. Ole Miss starter Anthony Cupps also lasted 6.1 innings and was credited with the victory to move to 3-1.
The Boilermakers got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the third inning. A.J. Prickel led off with a single through the right side that was misplayed by Ole Miss right field Alex Presley as he came up to make the throw. The miscue allowed Hilligoss to cross the plate and Dahl to advance all the way to third. Eric Wolfe then dropped a bunt down the first base line to score Dahl and give Purdue a 2-0 lead.
The Boilermakers extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth. With one out, Hilligoss singled and moved to second when Dahl laced a base hit to left-center. Wolfe follwed with another single that scored Hilligoss.
The Rebels led off their half of the fifth with a base hit, the first of the day surrendered by Pruemer. A hit batsman and a single gave Ole Miss its first run and a throwing error allowed the Rebels to cut the Boilermaker lead to one. Ole Miss tied the game at three on a sacrifice fly.
Purdue regained the lead in the sixth when Spencer Ingaldson singled, moved to second on a bunt by Eric Osborn, and came around to score on a hit by Prickel.
Ole Miss responded with a pair of runs in their half of the sixth for a 5-4 lead and then put the game away with eight more runs in the seventh. The Rebels got eight hits in the inning, capped by a grand slam by short stop Zack Cozart.
In the eighth Purdue was able to push two more runs across the plate on a double by Eric Osborn and an RBI groundout by Prickel, but the Boilermakers went down in order in the ninth.
The loss drops Purdue to 1-5 on the season while Ole Miss improved to 9-3.
The Boilermakers will return to the diamond on Friday, March 11 as they open a three-game series with the Texas Longhorns at Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas.