May 5, 2007
University Park, Pa. - The Purdue Nine stumbled on the road against the Penn State Nittany Lions, dropping both games in a Saturday doubleheader at Medlar Field, 4-1 and 11-2.
The pair of losses dropped Purdue's Big Ten record to 8-13, dipping the Boilermakers further from the potential sixth spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
The top six teams in the final regular season standings advance to the conference tournament. Through the games on Saturday, Illinois sits in sixth at 10-11, two games ahead of the Boilermakers. Michigan State is currently one-half game behind Purdue in eighth place at 8-14.
The Boilermakers (18-22) fell in Game One of Saturday's twinbill 4-1 despite a sloid performance on the mound by freshman Matt Bischoff. Bischoff (2-1) allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out six over 7.1 innings.
Purdue missed a golden opportunity to get on the scoreboard first, putting runners on second and third with no outs in the fourth inning. Ryne White doubled to left and Jeff Mojzik's flyball to right was misplayed, putting both runners in scoring position. However back-to-back strikeouts and a pop-up stranded the runners on base with the game still scoreless.
PSU broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth on a triple by Joe Blackburn and an RBI single by Cory Wine.
The Lions scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to stretch their lead to 4-0 before the Boilermakers scratched the scoreboard in the ninth with a lone run on an RBI single by Dan Black that drove in Mojzik from third.
Purdue was out-hit 9-7 and was unable to take full advantage of three Penn State errors, leaving seven runners on base including three in scoring position.
The nightcap was not as tightly fought as Penn State jumped on Purdue starter Ricky Heines and relievers Allan Donato and Morgan Regan, plating four runs in the first inning, four in the second and three in the third to take an 11-0 lead.
Heines (6-5) was hit with the loss, allowing seven earned runs in just over one inning of work. Donato allowed one run in one inning, and Regan surrendered three runs in one-third of an inning.
Purdue scored single runs in the third and sixth innings. White's single in the third inning drove home Nick Overmyer with the Boilermakers' first run, and then scored the team's second run on a two-out single by Eric Nielsen.
The Boilermakers return to Medlar Field on Sunday for a 3 p.m. doubleheader against the Nittany Lions. Both games of the twinbill will be broadcast on WLAS 1410 AM in the Lafayette area and on the web at purduesports.com.