March 2, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Purdue baseball team dropped a 5-0 decision to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Sunday at Nick Denes Field, extending the team's losing streak to six games.
The 0-6 start for the Boilermakers is tied for the worst start in the 121-year program history, done three times before - last in 1988. The shutout was the first suffered by Purdue since dropping a 1-0 game to Notre Dame in 10 innings on April 18 of last season.
WKU scored a single run in the third inning without getting the ball out of the infield off starting pitcher Allan Donato (0-2). An infield single, sacrifice bunt, groundout and a second infield hit plater the Hilltoppers' first run.
WKU opened the game up in the sixth with four runs on five hits off reliever Josh Lindblom, giving the Toppers the 5-0 lead they would take through the rest of the game.
The Boilermakers put lone runners on base in seven of the nine innings, but failed to place a second runner on base in any inning and had a baserunner reach second only once - Alex Jaffee's first inning double.
Purdue begins its Spring Break trip next Friday with the first game of a four-game series at Kentucky. Friday's game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch.