Feb. 22, 2009
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Purdue baseball team dropped its third straight game, and its second extra inning contest of the season, after falling to Notre Dame 9-4 in 10 innings on Sunday. The loss wrapped up a 1-3 trip to Clearwater for the Boilermaker at the first Big East/Big Ten Challenge.
The Irish, who had trailed 4-1 earlier in the contest, took advantage of a taxed Purdue pitching staff to plate five runs on six hits in the top of the 10th to complete the come-from-behind victory. Notre Dame got a run-scoring single by Brayden Ashdown to snap the 4-4 stalemate, and tacked on insurance runs on a two-run double by Golden Tate, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ryne Intlekofer and a RBI single by AJ Pollack.
The Irish had rallied for three runs on four hits off of left-hander Blake Mascarello, all after the first two outs in the inning had been recorded, to tie the game in the eighth. Ashdown pulled the Irish within one at with a two-run single down the left field line, and Mick Doyle tied the game at 4-4 when he plated Ashdown on a run-scoring single through the right side of the infield one batter later.
The Boilermakers' Joe Haase was charged with his first career loss after allowing three runs - two earned - on three hits in 1 1/3 innings of work.
Earlier in the game, Purdue had taken adavantage of some wild pitching to overcome 1-0 defifcit with two runs in the third, and tacked single runs in the fifth and sixth innings on a sac fly by John Cummins and a run-scoring single by Brandon Haveman.
The Fighting Irish struck first in the top of the thid on a one-out triple by Jeremy Barnes and a wild pitch by Purdue starter Connor Sestak.
Helped by three wild pitches from ND starter Even Danieli, the Boilermakers responded with two runs in the home half of the frame to take the lead for good.
Senior Brandon Haveman singled up the middle to lead off the frame and advanced to second on a curve ball by Danieli that skipped away from catcher Matt Scioscia.
Danieli's lack of control took over the inning, as the right-hander got Ben Wolgamot to hit a grounder to second for the first out, but followed that with a walk to Jonathan Lilly to place runners on first and second with one out.
He followed the free pass by advancing the Boilermaker pair 180 feet on back-to-back curve balls into the dirt for wild pitches. The second wild pitch - his third of the inning - plated Haveman to tie the game, and a run down on double steal following another walk allowed Lilly to score and make it 2-1 Purdue.
The Boilermakers will return to action next week when they travel to Southeast Missouri State for a four-game set against the Redhawks. First pitch for the series opener is slated for 3 p.m. Eastern.