March 5, 2010
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Purdue baseball team (1-4) mashed out 18 runs on 19 hits and two Southern Illinois (2-6) errors en route to its first victory of the season at Abe Martin Stadium on Friday.
Eleven of the 12 Purdue hitters that had an at bat in the contest finished with at least one hit, and senior pitchers Matt Bischoff and Drew Wurdack teamed up to limit the Salukis to just two runs on seven hits over nine innings in the 18-2 Purdue win.
Trailing 1-0 after a second inning solo home run by SIU's Jordan Sivertsen, the Boilers took advantage of a Saluki fielding miscue in the third to plate a pair runs to take a 2-1 lead, and added two more unearned runs in the frame on a sacrifice fly by Eric Charles and a run-scoring single by Brad Schreiber to jump out to a 4-1 advantage.
Purdue sent 11 hitters to the plate in the fourth, one of two innings in which the Boilermakers batted around, to tack on six additional runs on five hits and another SIU error. Charles delivered a two-run double in the inning, for two of his four runs driven in in the contest, and Tyler Spillner, Jon Moore and Schreiber all chipped in with an RBI apiece.
Schreiber, who finished the game 3 for 5 with four RBIs, hit his first collegiate home run, a two-run shot to left, in the sixth, and Drew Madia and Kevin Plawecki each drove in a run in the seventh to make it 14-2 Purdue.
Stephen Talbott's two-run single in the ninth highlighted a four-run inning for Purdue to close out the scoring.
On the mound, Bischoff (1-0) allowed just two runs, both on solo homers, over six innings. He surrendered five hits and two walks, while striking out five to earn his first victory of the year.
Classmate Wurdack took over in the seventh and tossed three shutout innings to earn his first save of the year. Wurdack struck out three against no walks, and allowed just a pair of hits.
SIU starter Randy Hoelscher (0-1) was charged with the loss after allowing eight runs, four earned, on six hits in three innings pitched. He struck out four and walked three.
Along with Schreiber's three-hit day, other offensive standouts for Purdue included Barrett Serrato (3 for 4, 3 R, RBI), Moore (2 for 6, 3 R, RBI), Charles (2 for 4, R, 2B, 4 RBIs), Cameron Perkins (2 for 4, 2B, 2 R) and Talbott (2 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI)
Purdue and Southern Illinois will meet up for the second game of the three-game set on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. Right-hander Matt Morgan, the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, is the scheduled starter for the Boilers.