March 24, 2007
MACOMB, Ill. - Despite out-hitting their opponent 23-9 over two games, the Boilermakers split a twinbill against Western Illinois on Saturday, losing the first game 5-2 before claiming a 7-0 victory in the nightcap.
The Boilermakers out-hit the Leathernecks 9-5 in the opener and 14-4 in the nightcap. Purdue has now reached double-digits in hits in nine of 16 games, and is averaging 11.0 hits per game - the program record is 10.48 per game in 2001.
Purdue (8-8) squandered a 2-1 lead in the opening game with a three-error seventh inning, allowing four unearned runs to cross the plate in the loss.
In the second game, Ricky Heines returned to the form he demonstrated during Purdue's first two weekends, pitching his second complete-game shutout of the season. The senior struck out a career-best eight batters without issuing a walk.
Heines has two of the three nine-inning complete-game shutouts thrown by Big Ten pitchers this season, throwing his first against Georgia on Feb. 24. Minnesota's Ethan Vogt has the conference's other nine-inning complete-game shutout, blanking Hartford on March 23.
In Game Two, Purdue scored right away on three singles as Jordan Comadena opened the game with a base hit and, following Ryne White's single, came home on a base hit by Andy Preston. Comadena scored again in the fifth inning, this time an unearned run, scoring on another single by White.
Leading 2-0, the Boilermakers blew the game open with three runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Alex Jaffee and a two-run base hit by John Cummins. The runs were scored by Comadena, White and Preston.
Comadena has now scored a Big Ten-leading 20 runs on the season in 16 games. The Purdue record for runs scored in a season is 62 by Mitch Hilligoss in 2006.
The Boilermakers added two insurance runs in the ninth on RBI base hits by Eric Osborn and Nick Overmyer, scoring Jaffee and Cummins.
With the win on the mound, Heines is now 3-2 on the season. The senior was a third team All-Big Ten starting pitcher last season with a record of 5-3.
In the day's first game, Eric Osborn drove in both Boilermaker runs with a single and a sacrifice fly in his first start of the season. Osborn, who had started 147 games over the past three years, is recovering from a shoulder injury that required surgery in the offseason.
Purdue and Western Illinois (12-13) will complete the three-game series on Sunday with a game at 1 p.m. Eastern. Live stats of the game will be provided at purduesports.com.
Due to technical difficulties, no audio will be available for the game.