March 10, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - History was made on the diamond on Sunday for the Purdue Boilermakers, but it was not the kind of history the Purdue Nine was hoping to put in the record books.
A run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning by ninth-ranked Kentucky handed Purdue its seventh consecutive loss to open the 2008 season, the longest losing streak to open a campaign in program history.
Purdue (0-7) led 2-1 after six innings, but a single run in the seventh by UK tied the score before the game-winning run was produced in the last half of the ninth.
After a solo home run put Kentucky on top 1-0 in the third inning, Purdue answered in the top of the fourth with two runs to take the lead. Jordan Comadena led off the fourth with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch on a swinging strike three to Ryne White allowed White to be safe at first and Comadena to scamper home with the tying run. Dan Black doubled to right to move White to third, and Alex Jaffee broke the tie with a scrifice fly to center.
Three singles in the seventh inning off Purdue reliever Andy Loomis allowed the Wildcats to knot the score at 1-1, and the game-winning hit came in the ninth by Keenan Wiley off Josh Lindblom (0-1).
All three runs scored by Kentucky (11-0) were plated with two outs in the respective inning.
Boilermaker starter Matt Bischoff was the hard-luck pitcher again for Purdue, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing one run on five hits while striking out 10 Wildcat batters. Bischoff's 10-strikeout performance was the second-best of his career, striking out 11 last year against Alabama-Birmingham.
The Boilermaker offense produced six hits on the afternoon, three by junior Brandon Haveman.
Purdue and Kentucky return to the diamond at Cliff Hagan Stadium on Monday for a 1 p.m. twinbill, with both games broadcast in the Lafayette area on WSHY 1410 AM and on the web.