April 9, 2005
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Purdue Nine failed to keep pace with the Big Ten Conference leaders, dropping a pair of games to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium before a crowd of 2,667, falling 6-4 and 5-1.
The Buckeyes, 0-5 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1936, picked up their first conference wins of the season with the doubleheader sweep, giving head coach Bob Todd his 700th win at OSU.
Purdue is now 3-4 in the Big Ten and 9-17 overall, while Ohio State moves to 2-5 in league action and 15-10 for the season.
The Boilermakers struck first in Game One, scoring a single run in the second inning off OSU starter Cory Luebke (3-1). Senior Eric Wolfe singled to open the inning and moved to second base on a passed ball. A groundout moved Wolfe to third, and sophomore Spencer Ingaldson picked up the RBI with a base hit to left.
OSU responded with a run to tie the game in the bottom of the second on a Chris Macke single to left that plated Jedidiah Stephen.
Two runs in the third by Purdue again gave the Boilermakers the lead, thanks to prototypical 'small ball'. A leadoff walk by freshman John Phegley was followed by a bunt single to third by senior Andy Dahl. Sophomore Mitch Hilligoss dropped down a sacrifice bunt, moving the baserunners to second and third. Junior Neal Gorka picked up his 13th RBI of the season when he put down a perfect squeeze bunt. The play at the plate on Phegley was not in time, giving Purdue a 2-1 lead with Gorka safe t first and Dahl moving to third. A wild pitch by Luebke allowed Dahl to scamper home with Purdue's third run.
The wheels fell off in the fifth as OSU scored five times against Boilermaker hurler Mitch Pruemer (3-4). The Buckeyes used a six-hit inning to grab a 6-3 lead, capping the inning with a three-run home run by Jason Zoeller.
Purdue pushed across a run in the seventh on a single to left by Hilligoss that scored Phegley, but it was not enough as OSU held on to post its first conference win of the season.
The Boilermakers never really gave themselves a shot in Game Two, surrendering two runs in the second, two more in the fifth and a final run in the sixth.
OSU jumped on the board early off starter Brent Coudron (2-3). WIth two out and no one on base in the second, the Buckeyes put together three singles and a hit-by-pitch to take a 2-0 lead.
Purdue inched closer with a single score in the fourth, getting a run when Dahl doubled to right-center, moved to third on a wild pitch by Buckeye pitcher Mike Madsen (2-2), and came home when Gorka grounded out to second.
It would be as close as Purdue would get in the game.
Ohio State insured the win in the fifth with two runs on three hits, both runs unearned. A bunt single by Jacob Howell was thrown wildly by third baseman Mike Marx, allowing Macke to score from second base to make the score 3-1. OSU added another run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Steve Caravati.
The Buckeyes closed the scoring with a run in the sixth on a single by Eric Fryer that drove home Paul Farinacci. Farinacci had singled with two down and moved to second on a passed ball.
Purdue hopes to force the series split on Sunday as the two teams meet for the final game of the weekend, beginning a 1:05 p.m. EDT.