May 6, 2011
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State responded with back-to-back four-run innings after Purdue baseball opened up an early 3-0 lead, defeating the Boilermakers, 11-4, Friday afternoon in the opener of a Big Ten Conference series featuring the top two teams in the standings.Michigan State (28-14, 11-5 Big Ten) scored seven of its 11 runs on home runs. Jeff Holm connected for a pair of three-run blasts to right field, including the game-tying shot with two outs in the fifth inning. Torsten Boss followed with a solo shot to right that gave the Spartans the lead for good.
Purdue (30-14, 10-6 Big Ten) had at least one base runner in every inning but stranded 13 in the loss. The Boilermakers had MSU starter Kurt Wunderlich on the ropes early with 14 batters reaching safely against the senior. But Wunderlich (8-1) kept Purdue off the scoreboard after David Miller homered off the foul pole in right field to leadoff the fourth, earning the win despite issuing eight free passes (five walks, three hit batters).
Conversely, Purdue starter Matt Morgan cruised through the first four innings, leaving a pair of runners on base in the first and third innings. But he hit No. 8 hitter Justin Scanlon to lead off the bottom of the fifth and was unable to get that crucial third out of the frame before Holm and Boss had already given MSU the lead.
Morgan (4-2) also gave up back-to-back hits to open the sixth inning before giving way to the bullpen. A throwing error on a sac bunt followed by a walk, squeeze bunt and a single led to three more runs. The eight unanswered tallies turned Purdue's 3-0 run lead with two outs in the bottom of the fifth into an 8-3 deficit as the sixth inning came to a close.
Barrett Serrato and Angelo Cianfrocco both drove in a run to give the Boilers the lead in the third inning.
Purdue dropped its first Big Ten series opener since losing at Minnesota on April 1 on the opening day of conference play. Michigan State remained perfect at home (7-0) against Big Ten opponents.
The Boilermakers leadoff man reached base safely in six of the nine innings but scored only three times, Miller's homer in the fourth accounting for one of those runs. Wunderlich walked the first batter of an inning in the second, third and sixth frames. Purdue was only able to plate that runner in the third.
Each of the first six Boilers to come to the plate in the third inning put together a productive plate appearance. Eric Charles sacrificed Tyler Spillner into scoring position after a walk to the leadoff man. Cameron Perkins and Serrato followed with base hits. Perkins went first to third on Serrato's high chopper over Holm's head at first base and scored on a sacrifice fly to right center off the bat of Cianfrocco.
Purdue made a pair of nice defensive plays before MSU took the lead. Serrato robbed Joel Fisher of a base hit with a diving stop at third base, helping account for the second out of Morgan's 1-2-3 fourth inning. Stephen Talbott made a good running catch in left center on a hard hit ball off the bat of Ryan Jones to record the second out of the fifth inning. But Holm and Boss followed with their game-changing back-to-back homers.
Jones singled home a run to cap the scoring in MSU's four-run sixth inning, extending his hitting streak to 31 consecutive games. That streak is the longest active run in the nation.
Mike Sudbury helped keep Purdue in the game by retiring four of the six batters he faced after the Spartans had gone ahead 8-3.
The series continues Saturday at 1 p.m.