March 13, 2009
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Junior starter Matt Bischoff scattered four hits over eight innings and struck out a career-high 12 batters to help lead Purdue to a 4-1 win over Mississippi Valley State in the first game of the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic on Friday. The victory marked the first back-to-back wins of the season for the Boilermakers and improved them to 4-7 for the year. Mississippi Valley State dropped to 5-7 with the loss.
Bischoff (1-1), who allowed just six base runners and retired the side in order five times in his eight innings of work, surrendered just one run on four hits and two walks to pick up his first win of the season.
The 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and an all-league selection as a sophomore last season, Bischoff overcame his early season struggles against the Delta Devils on Friday to revert back to the form that earned him staff ace status heading in the year.
The right-hander, who entered the game with a 10.92 ERA in 14 innings of work, struck out the side in the first and the fourth, and finished with at least one punchout in all eight innings he worked. The 12 Ks eclipsed his previous high of 11 he had in his first collegiate start against Alabama-Birmingham on March 14, 2007. The outing lowered his ERA by over three and half runs for the year.
Kevin Cahill took over for Bischoff in the ninth and worked around a leadoff walk to end the contest and earn his first save of the season.
Offensively Purdue rapped out 10 hits in the contest, all singles, and took advantage of three MVSU errors for the win.
The Boilers scored a pair of runs on two hits and an error in the top of the first to jump out to an early lead. Jonathan Lilly open the scoring after coming home on a fielding error by MVSU third baseman Hogan Barnes, and Nick Overmyer added a run-scoring single to plate Drew Madia.
Purdue tacked on a single run on a Tyler Spillner ground out in the top of the fifth, and added another run on an Overmyer fielder's choice grounder in the fifth.
MSVU plated its lone run on a Bischoff wild pitch in the eighth.
Overmyer, Madia and Ben Wolgamot let Purdue at the plate with two hits each. Overmyer had a game-high two RBIs and Madia led the way with a pair of runs scored.
MVSU starter Jeremy Breaux (2-1) was charged with his first loss of the year after yielding four runs, one earned, on seven hits over six innings of work. He struck out two and walked three.
Purdue will return to action on Saturday at 4 p.m EDT when it takes on host school Evansville. Left-hander Matt Jansen (1-2) is the scheduled starter for the Boilermakers.