March 20, 2010
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - The Purdue baseball team outlasted Ohio 9-8 in the opening game of a doubleheader and got a 14-strikeout performance by right-hander Matt Morgan in a 6-2 win in the night cap as the Boilermakers swept a twin bill and the three-game series over the Bobcats at Bob Wren Stadium on Saturday.
The twin wins improved the Boilermakers to 7-8 on the year and wrapped up the eight-game spring break trip with a 6-2 mark. Ohio dropped to 2-14 for the year after the sweep.
Purdue's three victories over the Bobcats marked the first sweep since the Boilers won a four-game Big Ten series against Minnesota (April 25-27, 2008) at Lambert Field and it was the first road sweep of an opponent since knocking off Western Kentucky three straight in Bowling Green, Ky., on March 2-4, 2007.
Game One
Ohio rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and had the game-tying run in scoring position in the ninth, but reliever Kevin Cahill slammed the door shut on the Bobcats comeback to preserve a series-clinching 9-8 victory.
Leading 9-4 heading into the eight, Ohio got back-to-back home runs by Robert Maddox III and Trace Voshell to lead off the frame and a run scoring single by Zach Keen off of right-hander Sean Collins to cut the Purdue lead to 9-7.
Cahill entered and surrendered a run-scoring ground out to Wesley O'Neill before finally working out of the jam with the tying run on second.
The Bobcats threatened again in the bottom of the ninth when Gauntlett Eldemire reached on a leadoff bunt single and stole second, but Cahill got Maddox to fly out center, Voshell to pop out to short and struck out pinch hitter Kris McDonough to end the game and earn the senior his first save of the season.
Purdue jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the contest, scoring a single run in the first on two-out single by Drew Madia, and added two runs in the second on wild pitch by OU starter Seth Streich and a safety squeeze bunt by Nick Overmyer.
After Ohio cut the Purdue lead to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, the Boilers took advantage of one of four Bobcat errors in the contest to plate four unearned runs in the fifth. Madia added his second run-scoring single of the game in the frame, another OU wild pitch plated another run and Jon Moore capped off the scoring with a two run double down the left field line to make it 7-2 Purdue.
Ohio plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 7-4 Purdue and force Boilers' starter Matt Jansen from the mound. Collins entered and got out of the sixth and hung a zero in the seventh before running into trouble in the eighth.
With a four-run lead in hand, hit a one-out solo homer to left and Kevin Plawecki plated Eric Charles for what at the time appeared to be a five-run cushion that would eventually turn out to be the winning run.
Jansen (1-1), who struck out five against just one walk over five innings of work, picked up his first victory of the season after departing with the lead in the sixth. The left-hander allowed four runs on four hits in the win.
OU starter Streich, who had to depart after injuring his pitching hand on a comebacker in the second inning, was charged with the loss after allowing three runs on four hits in one-plus innings of work.
Offensively, Plawecki (2 for 4, 2B, RBI, R), Madia (2 for 4, 2 RBI), Barret Arthur (2 for 3, R) and Moore (2 for 5, 2B, 2 RBI, R) all paired hits for Purdue in the win. Overmyer's solo homer in the eighth provided one of his two RBIs in the game and was his first long ball of the season.
Game Two Matt Morgan gave up a solo home run to leadoff hitter Bryan Barnes on the first pitch he threw in the bottom of the first inning but that only seemed to make him mad. Utilizing an effective breaking ball and change-up, the right-handed junior struck out a career-high 14 Bobcat hitters over 7 2/3 innings against just one walk.
Morgan struck out at least two Ohio hitters in six of his seven-plus innings of work, including the side in the second, and his 14 punchouts were the most by any Purdue pitcher since former Boilermaker Chadd Blasko sat down 15 Miami (Ohio) hitters on March 23, 2002. Morgan's previous career-high for strikeouts was 10 set against Iowa last season at Lambert Field.
Morgan (1-0), who was pulled in the eighth after allowing a two-out single following a strike outs Nos. 13 and 14, ended up allowing two runs on six hits to pick up his first win of the season.
Offensively, Purdue plated four runs on six hits in the third to jump out to a 4-1 advantage. The Boilers got RBIs in the inning on a ground out by Tyler Spillner, back-to-back doubles by Eric Charles and Kevin Plawecki and single by Drew Madia.
OU plated a single run in the bottom of the third, but Morgan dominated the rest of the way via the strikeout.
Plawecki added his second run driven in on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Barret Arthur hit a one-out solo home run in the top of the eighth to cap off the scoring for the Boilers.
After 15 consecutive neutral/road games to open the year, the Boilers will host their first game of the season at Lambert Field on Tuesday when they host IPFW for a non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. and a starter has yet to be announced.