May 16, 2007
VALPARAISO, Ind. - Connor Sestak made the most of his first collegiate start, pitching five innings for his first win as Purdue defeated Valparaiso at Emory G. Bauer Field, 7-2.
The Boilermakers (22-28) got two-hit efforts from five members of the starting lineup, and five pitchers limited the Crusaders to six hits as Purdue snapped a three-game losing streak.
Spencer Ingaldson was 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, two RBI and two doubles. His pair of two-baggers gives the senior a team-leading 17 doubles on the year, equalling his career total over three years entering this season.
The Boilermakers scored twice in the second inning on Ingaldson's two-run double to the wall in left field, scoring Nick Overmyer and Jon Moore with the games first runs.
Ingaldson scored in the fourth when his second double turned into a run on a fielding error by the Valpo shortstop.
A Crusader run in the bottom of the fourth made the score 3-1 in favor of Purdue, but the Boilermakers responded with two runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth. Alex Jaffee doubled in Jeff Mozik with the fifth inning's first run, and Eric Nielsen drove in Dan Black with a sacrifice fly to up the score to 5-1.
The Boilermakers scored in the sixth on a single by Ryne White. Following a walk to Ingaldson, the senior broke for second base when White hit a towering fly ball into shallow centerfield. The Valpo centerfielder changed and dove for the ball but could not make the catch, allowing Ingaldson to scamper home, scoring all the way from first on the base hit.
Valpo scored in the sixth to draw to within 6-2, but Purdue added an insurance run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Andy Preston, scoring Moore from third.
Senior pitcher Skyler Young made his first appearance on the hill this season, returning from Tommy John surgery to record one inning, allowing two hits and one run. Andrew Groves, Kevin Cahill and Josh Lindblom each recorded a scoreless inning on the mound to close the game.
White's two-hit performace at the plate upped his hitting streak to 20 games, second-best on the Purdue program record list behind the 22-game streak the sophomore had earlier this season. White's .451 batting average is third-best in the NCAA.
Moore joined Ingaldson and White with a two-hit day, as did Black and Mojzik. Overall, the Boilermakers out-hit Valpo 14-6.
Purdue closes the 2007 season on the road in Evanston, Ill., with a four-game Big Ten series against Northwestern. The series begins with a 4 p.m. ET contest on Friday, and all four games of the series can be heard on WLAS 1410 AM in the Lafayette area and on the Web at purduesports.com.