April 1, 2009
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Purdue baseball team lost its second straight decision, falling 22-19 in a slugfest against IPFW on Wednesday. The loss dropped the Boilers to 10-11 overall and 1-2 against the Mastodons this season. IPFW, which won its first ever game against Purdue 1-0 on March 15, outlasted a persistent Boilermaker offense to improve to 7-14 with the win.
Trailing 7-0 after the first two innings, Purdue scored at least one run in the next seven consecutive innings to fight its way back into the game. Unfortunately for the Boilermaker bats, the Mastodons countered with scoring barrages of the their own, including a three-run third, a five-run fourth and a four-run seventh inning.
Combined the two offenses scored 41 runs on 39 hits, including 10 doubles and seven home runs. Seventeen of the 18 starters finished with at least one hit, 16 different players scored at least once and 15 hitters drove in an RBI or more in the contest. Each school had a player hit a grand slam - Garrett Segraves for IPFW and Drew Madia for Purdue.
Individual standouts for IPFW included Segraves finishing 3 for 5 with the GS, a game-high seven RBIs and three runs scored. Teammate Jordan Kohler swatted a pair of homers to go 3 for 4 with four runs driven in and three runs scored. Shaun VanDriessche and Mark Carden paired hits on the afternoon and finished with three RBIs.
For Purdue, Madia's grand slam helped lead to a team-best five RBIs and a 4 for 6 day at the plate. Eric Charles (3 for 5, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R), David Blount (2 for 6, RBI, 3 R) and Eric Nielsen (4 for 4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 5 R) all homered for the Boilermakers in the loss.
Scott Micinski (1-2), who allowed seven runs - four earned - on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings, picked up his first win of the season. Andrew Emge earned a three-inning save despite allowing eight runs on 11 hits over the final three frames.
Purdue's Connor Sestak (0-2) was charged with the loss after giving up four runs on one hits without recording an out in the first inning. The Boilermakers used a season-high eight pitchers in the loss.
The Boilermakers will square off against Wabash on Thursday at 4 p.m. before opening a three-game series against Iowa at Lambert Field this Friday through Sunday.