March 30, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Purdue baseball team committed seven errors which led to nine unearned runs in a 22-14 loss to Missouri at Taylor Field on Tuesday. The eight-run defeat snapped a three-game winning streak and dropped the Boilers to 11-10 for the year, while Missouri, which has won back-to-back games, to improve to 14-8.
The Boilers opened strong, getting a leadoff solo home run by freshman Stephen Talbott and plating four more runs on another hit and two Mizzou errors in the top of the first to jump out to a 5-0 edge.
Missouri stormed right back in the bottom of the frame tying the game with five runs, including four on a grand slam by Eric Garcia, before plating four runs on five hits in the bottom of the second and breaking the game open with five more runs on three hits and three Boilermaker defensive miscues in the third.
The Tigers posted a single run in the fourth and put things away in the fifth after scoring six runs on five hits and another Purdue error for a 21-6 lead.
Trailing 22-8 after seven innings, the Boilermaker offense got another homer from Talbott, a three-run shot this time, and a sacrifice fly by Payton Bieker in the top of the eighth to cut the lead to 22-12, and tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth on a two-run homer by Nick Overmyer. Overmyer also had a solo home run in the third inning for the Boilers.
Offensively Purdue smacked a season-high five home runs, two by Talbott and Overmyer and a two-run shot by Jon Moore in the sixth, but Missouri answered that with five homers of its own to go along with five doubles and 19 hits total.
Individually, Talbott (2 for 5, 2 R) and Overmyer (2 for 4, 3 R) drove in four runs apiece in the losing effort, while Moore went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored.
Mizzou had all nine of its starters collect at least one hit with Garcia mashing two homers for six RBIs, Aaron Senne going 5 for 5 with a homer, five RBIs and four runs scored, Dane Opel finishing 3 for 4 with a home run, four RBIs and three runs scored and Brett Nicholas chipping in with a round-tripper, five RBIs and three runs scored.
MU starter Aaron Blunt (2-1) shook off the rough first inning to pick up the win. The Tiger southpaw allowed eight runs, four earned, on six hits over six innings of work.
Purdue's Drew Wurdack didn't make it out of the second inning, and was charged with his second loss after allowing seven runs, six earned, on five hits in one-plus inning.
Purdue will look to split the two-game series when the schools meet up again on Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. ET with lefty Blake Mascarello the scheduled starter for the Boilers.