March 14, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Freshman pitcher Matt Bischoff struck out 11 batters in his first career start and the Purdue Boilermakers defeated the UAB Blazers 14-4 at Young Memorial Field on the UAB campus.
Bischoff pitched 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and two walks. The 11 strikeouts are the most by a Boilermaker pitcher this season.
Purdue (5-6) out-hit the Blazers 16-8 and had seven extra-base hits, including Ryne White's first home run of the 200 season.
The Boilermakers jumped on the scoreboard early and did so with a bang, scoring five runs in the second inning culminated by White's blast to right. With two outs and no one on base, Nick Overmyer singled to centerfield and advanced to third on two wild pitchers. A walk to Kyle Reesing and a hit-by-pitch to Jordan Comadena loaded the bases for Spencer Ingaldson, whose single to right gave the Boilermakers a 2-0 lead. On a 3-2 pitch, White line a shot over the right field wall for a three-run blast and a 5-0 Purdue lead.
An RBI fielder's choice by Kyle Reesing, a two-run double by Comadena and an RBI grounder by Ingaldson in the third inning spotted Purdue to a 9-0 lead, giving Bischoff all the support he would need.
Overmyer, who was 3-for-5 on the evening, singled in a run in the fifth inning to up the advantage to 10-0. That lead grew to 12-0 in the sixth on an RBI single by Jon Moore and a error on a groundball by Overmyer.
UAB (8-9) threatened to score against Bischoff in the seventh after a leadoff single and a double to left-center, but the freshman from Decatur, Ind., was up to the challenge. Bischoff induced a pop-up on the infield for the first out and recorded strikeout number 10 for the second. A walk loaded the bases, but the freshman's 11th strikeout of the game ended the threat and received a fist-pumping from the right-hander.
The Blazers broke onto the scoreboard with four runs in the eighth inning, three unearned, to pull to within eight at 12-4.
The Boilermakers added two more runs in the final inning on a two-run double by Dan Stahl, the first double of the fifth-year senior's career. Earlier in the inning Kyle Lauderdale also picked up his first career double, lacing a two-bagger down the right field line.
Comadena was the prototypical leadoff hitter, going 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk and two hit-by-pitchers. In the two games against UAB, the junior outfielder reached base in nine of his 11 plate appearances.
Ingaldson and White each drove home three runs, and White, Dan Black, Moore and Overmyer had multi-hit games for the Boilermakers.
Purdue will next face Samford in a three-game series in Birmingham, beginning with a 4 p.m. (Eastern) game on Friday. The game will be broadcast on the internet at purduesports.com.