May 18, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Jon Moore's eighth-inning solo home run down the left field line snapped a 4-4 tie and Brad Schreiber tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen as Purdue (31-19) held off Butler (18-27), 5-4, in the Boilers' final home game of the season on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs pulled out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, but Boilermaker seniors Moore, Jonathan Lilly and Drew Madia, all playing in their final game at Lambert Field in a Purdue uniform, countered in the home half of the frame with a leadoff double, an RBI single and a two-run homer, respectively. Madia's shot over the right field fence tied him with freshman teammate Kevin Plawecki for the team lead at eight homers for the year.
Butler took the lead again in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by Michael Letzter, but Purdue rallied in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game up on a two-out single by Payton Bieker.
Plawecki reached on a one-out single to start the rally and was replaced by pinch runner Stephen Talbott at first. After pinch hitter Tyler Spillner went down swinging for the second out in the frame, Talbott stole second, his fifth swipe in five attempts this year, and advanced to third on a throwing error by Letzter on the attempt.
Bieker lofted a two-strike pitch into left field to send Talbott home and even the game up at 4-4.
Moore, in his final plate appearance at Lambert Field, then delivered the game-winning homer with one out in the eighth. He finished contest 2 for 4 with a double, his fourth home run, an RBI and two runs scored.
Schreiber, one of five Purdue pitchers to take the mound on Tuesday, picked up his second win of the season with the two scoreless innings of relief. The freshman right-hander struck out two, walked none and worked around a two-out double in the ninth to seal the Purdue win.
Butler's Jamie Feldheiser (0-1) was charged with the loss after allowing Moore's go-ahead homer.
Purdue will close out the regular season this week when it heads to Iowa for a three-game Big Ten series against the Hawkeyes. The Boilermakers currently sit in a tie with Michigan for second in the league standings, one game behind conference-leading Minnesota. The Golden Gophers head to Ohio State and Michigan to Penn State to close out the year.