Feb. 22, 2009
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Purdue baseball team's come-from-behind bid came up short, as the Boilermakers dropped a second straight decision with a 7-5 loss to South Florida Saturday night. The loss came on the heels of a walk-off 4-3 defeat in 10 innings to Michigan earlier in the day, and dropped Purdue to 1-2 for the season.
Started by a solo homer by Dan Black, his first blast of the season, Purdue scored at least one run from the top of the sixth on to the ninth, but surrendered at least one run to Bulls in the home half of each frame to negate the gains made.
The Boilers saw their best opportunity to take the lead come to a premature end on a double play ball in the eighth inning.
Trailing 6-3, Purdue loaded the bases with nobody out on a leadoff single by John Cummins, a walk to Tyler Spillner and a single by Eric Nielsen.
Reliever Kevin Quackenbush was called on to face centerfielder Jonathan Moore. Moore, who hit a solo homer down the left field line in the seventh, grounded into a double play that scored a run, but the twin killing effectively removed all of the scoring punch from the situtation.
Quackenbush followed the double play with a walk to Barrett Serrato, but struck out Brandon Haveman to quash the Boilermaker rally and end the inning.
South Flordia (1-1), which also lost to Michigan in the ninth inning in its season opener on Friday, jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
USF's Mike Concolmagno and Jonathan Koscso opened the home half of the first with back-to-back singles of of Boilermaker left-hander Matt Jansen. A double steal by the pair and hit batter loaded the bases for designated hitter Stephen Hunt. Hunt lined Jansen's full count offering into left-center to plate a pair and stake USF to the early advantage.
Jansen would settle down and retire nine straight batters before finding trouble again in the fifth. Koscso started the rally with a one-out base hit and was advanced to second on single by centerfielder Ryan Lockwood.
A two-out walk to Hunt loaded the bases yet again, and first baseman Todd Brazeal delivered with a two-run single to push the USF advantage to 4-0.
Jansen struck out a career-high nine batters in 4 2/3 innings of work, but allowed four runs on eights to pick up his first loss of the year.
USF starter Derrick Stultz earned the win, allowing just one run on five hits over six innings of work. Reliever Quakenbush tallied the save in two innings out of the bullpen.
Purdue will attempt to get back on the winning track and even its season record in the final game of the first Big East/Big Ten Challenge when it meets up with Hoosier State rival Notre Dame. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.