Feb. 22, 2008
WACO, Texas - One pitch and one swing was the difference in the game as the Purdue Boilermakers fell in the 2008 season opener to 15th-ranked Baylor at the Baylor Ballpark in Waco, Texas.
In a scoreless tie in the seventh inning, Matt Bischoff's offering to Landis Ware was connected and sent over the left field wall for a two-run home run, eventually giving Baylor a 2-1 win over the Boilermakers.
Bischoff (0-1) went 6.2 innings in the season's first game, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out seven and walking three.
The Boilermakers cut Baylor's lead in half in the top of the ninth on Jonathan Lilly's sacrifice fly in his first collegiate at-bat, but the Boilermakers were unable to get another base runner and came up shy in the bid to knock off a ranked opponent.
Bischoff and Baylor's Kendall Volz exchanged zeroes on the scoreboard for six innings, and the Boilermaker sophomore was one strike away from putting up another zero in the seventh when his 3-2 offering to Paul Miles missed the zone for a free pass. Ware then connected for his first collegiate home run to stake Baylor with the runs it would need.
The Boilermakers offense mustered just four hits against three Baylor pitchers and managed to put multiple base runners on base just once. Back-to-back singles in the fourth inning by Ryne White and Dan Black were unable to help the Boilermakers break the scoreless tie as the pair of Boilermakers were left stranded at first and second base.
White ended the game with two hits and a run scored, extending his Purdue-record hitting streak to 25 games. Eric Nielsen joined White and Black as the only other Boilermaker with a base hit in the opener.
The Boilermakers return to Baylor Ballpark on Saturday for a 4 p.m. ET showdown with the Bears. The game will be broadcast on WSHY 1410 AM in the Lafayette area and on the web at Yahoo Sports.