March 23, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning, the Purdue baseball team plated eight unanswered runs and opened the home season with a 10-4 win over visiting IPFW at Lambert Field on Tuesday.
The Boilermakers' fifth straight victory evened their season record at 8-8, while the Mastodons dropped to 2-17 with the loss.
IPFW looked to be in command in the early going, plating three runs in the first on a homer by A.J. Christensen off of Boilermaker right-hander Drew Wurdack and then loading the bases with nobody out in the third after Purdue had rallied for a single run in the home half of the first.
Wurdack, who surrendered eight hits in his first two-plus innings, settled down and worked his way out of the third-inning jam with a pop out to short and back-to-back called third strikes.
Purdue took advantage of the missed opportunity by the Mastodons and tied the game 3-3 with a pair of runs in the home half of the third on back-to-back doubles by Payton Bieker and Nick Overmyer to open the frame and a one-out RBI single by Eric Charles.
Barret Arthur led off the fourth with his third homer of the season, an opposite field shot to left, to hand Purdue a 4-3 edge, and a dropped foul ball by IPFW catcher Cory Miller in the fifth led to a Charles solo home run and a run-scoring double by Cameron Perkins to make it 6-3 Boilers.
The Boilermakers tacked on a pair of runs in the seventh on a Perkins sacrifice fly and a two-out double by Jon Moore, and answered IPFW's lone run in the top of the eighth with two more runs in the bottom of the inning on a Kevin Plawecki double.
Offensively, Purdue rapped out 16 hits in the game, including seven doubles and a pair of home runs. Individually all nine starters for Purdue finished with at least one hit, including six players collecting two or more.
Charles went 3 for 5 with a pair of RBIS and three runs scored to lead the way, while Tyler Spillner (2 for 4, 2 R), Plawecki (2 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI, R), Drew Madia (2 for 3, RBI, R), Bieker (2 for 4, 2 2B, R) and Overmyer (2 for 4, RBI, R) all paired hits in the win.
Wurdack (2-1) battled back after the early struggles to pick up his second win of the season on the mound. The senior allowed the three runs on 10 hits over six innings of work. He struck out six and walked just one.
Reliever Joe Haase tossed three innings, including working out of a first-and-third jam in the seventh, to earn his first save of the year. He allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Wurdack and Haase teamed up to strand 13 IPFW runners on base.
Mastodon starter Samuel Walker (1-4) was charged with the loss after allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Purdue will return to action on Wednesday when it hosts Illinois State at Lambert Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. with left-hander Blake Mascarello the scheduled starter on the mound.