April 17, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue baseball team ensured its first Big Ten Conference series win of the season with a 6-4 victory over visiting Penn State (14-19, 2-6 Big Ten) at Lambert Field on Saturday. The Boilers, who have won four consecutive games, improved to 19-14 for the year and an even 4-4 in league play.
The win was a true team victory with six different players accounting for Purdue's six runs, and unlike the opening game of the series, in which Purdue swatted three doubles, two triples and five homers, all nine of the Boilers' hits on Saturday were singles.
Purdue jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first on four hits and a sacrifice fly. Barrett Arthur, Kevin Plawecki, Cameron Perkins and Nick Overmyer each drove in a run in the opening frame.
The Nittany Lions cut the Purdue lead in half with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, but the Boilers pushed the edge back to four with a pair runs in the bottom of the sixth on a safety squeeze by Jon Moore and a sacrifice fly by Tyler Spillner.
The Lions took advantage of a pair of wild pitches from reliever Kevin Cahill to plate two runs in the top of the seventh, but the Boiler right-hander settled down to close out the final 2 2/3 innings and notch his second save of the season.
PSU's Sean Deegan and Elliot Searer led off the seventh with back-to-back singles, with Searer advancing to second on an attempt to get Deegan out at third on the play. The two singles forced Purdue starter Matt Morgan from the game in favor of southpaw Calvin Gunter.
The lefty retired Jordan Steranka on strikes for the first out in the frame and was then replaced by Cahill to face right-handed hitting Ben Heath. Cahill uncorked consecutive wild pitches during Heath's at bat to plate both runners and make a two-run game.
Cahill's initial wildness soon passed as he worked around two Purdue defensive errors and recorded three punchouts on called third strikes over the final 2 2/3 innings.
Morgan (3-1) tossed six strong innings to pick up his third win of the season on the mound. The right-hander allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits to go along with six strikeouts and two walks.
PSU starter Ryan Ignas (2-3) was charged with the loss after allowing all six runs, five earned, on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Purdue will look for its first league series sweep since 2008 when its goes for three against Penn State on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for noon.