March 27, 2009
FIRST PITCH FOR THE SATURDAY CONTEST AGAINST NORTHWESTERN HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM 2 P.M. TO NOON EDT.
EVANSTON, Ill. - Right-hander Matt Bischoff struck out 10 and made quick work the Northwestern batting order over nine solid innings, as Purdue opened the Big Ten season with a 4-3 win over the Wildcats at Rocky Miller Park on Friday.
The Boiler's fifth straight victory, which took just an hour and 59 minutes to play, improved them to 10-9 for the year and to 1-0 in the conference. Northwestern, which has dropped eight straight games, fell to 4-17 overall and 0-1 in the league.
Bischoff, the 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and an all-league selection last season, tossed his first complete game of the year and posted his third straight impressive start in the Friday slot. The junior allowed only two earned runs on eight hits and walked just a single Wildcat hitter to go along with his 10 punchouts. The CG effort was the second of his Purdue career, but the first over nine innings.
Offensively, Purdue took advantage of an NU fielding miscue by third baseman Chris Lashmet to score three runs in the first. The Boilers opened the scoring in the first on an RBI single by David Blount, and added two more on a Nick Overmyer single that plated Blount and Dan Black with two outs later in the frame.
Purdue added a single run in the second on a fielder's choice grounder by Tyler Spillner, and then rode the arm of the Bischoff over the next seven innings for the win.
Northwestern rallied within one by plating single runs in the second, third and fourth, but the Bischoff settled in and allowed just two NU hits from the fifth inning on. A fielding error by Overmyer at short was the only thing that stood between Bischoff retiring the final nine consecutive hitters he faced.
Bischoff struck out at least one Wildcat batter in eight of his nine innings of work and retired four of the final five outs of the game on strikes. Over his last three starts Bischoff is 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings pitched.
NU starter Eric Jokisch (2-2) also tossed a complete game, but was hamstrung by his defense. The southpaw was charged with the hard luck loss after allowing four runs, only one of which was earned, over the nine innings. He finished the contest with five strikeouts and four walks.
Blount and Eric Charles led the way at the plate for Purdue, finishing with two hits each. Overmyer led all players with his two RBIs in the first. NU's Chad Noble hit a solo home run in the second to put the Cats on the scoreboard.
Purdue and Northwestern will hook up for game two of the three-game series on Saturday. FIRST PITCH FOR THE CONTEST HAS BEEN CHANGED TO NOON EDT. Left-hander Matt Jansen is the scheduled starter for the Boilermakers.