March 31, 2007
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue Boilermakers played a Big Ten doubleheader against Illinois on Saturday and appeared to be two different teams, losing the opener 9-4 before winning the nightcap 2-1.
Senior pitcher Ricky Heines pitched his third complete game of the season, limiting Illini batters to four hits in the day's second game. Heines (4-2) struck out three and walked one in his fourth career complete game.
Purdue pitching allowed 12 hits and four walks in the first game, while the defense surrender three errors leading to two unearned runs.
In the opener, Purdue took a 4-1 in the second inning on RBI hits by Jon Moore and Nick Overmyer and an RBI grounder by Spencer Ingaldson. Ingaldson's groundball to third was mishandled, allowing the fourth run of the inning to score.
Illinois would answer immediately with six runs in the third inning, and iced the game with a two-run sixth.
Dan Sattler (1-1) was hit with the loss, pitching 2.0 innings and allowing five runs on four hits. The senior walked two and struck out two.
In the nightcap, Heines kept the aggressive Illinois batters off balance with a steady diet of offspeed pitches, retiring 10 consecutuve hitters from the first inning through the fourth.
Purdue grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth with two two-out runs. John Cummins' single through the infield broke the scoreless tie, driving Ryne White in from second base. After an infield single by Alex Jaffee loaded the bases, Moore was hit by a pitch to force home Andy Preston from third.
Illinois responded in the fifth with a run on Mike Rohde's double, a single by Shawn Rood and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Hastings, but Heines struck out Kyle Hudson with the tying run on third to end the inning.
Heines again forced the Illinois batters to strand the tying run in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings, giving Purdue the win and a chance at a series split on Sunday.
Purdue and Illinois meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday for the series finale in a game that can be heard on the internet at purduesports.com.