NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma starting pitcher Alec Hansen limited Purdue baseball to just three singles over seven shutout innings, helping the Sooners even the series by taking game two of the weekend set, 7-1, Saturday evening.
Oklahoma (11-6) scored in each of the first three innings to blow the game open early with a 6-0 advantage. Friday it was the Boilermakers (5-8) that scored four times in the top of the first en route to a 5-0 advantage after four.
Purdue was unable to take advantage of having the leadoff man aboard three times a span of four innings against Hansen (2-1). The 6-foot-7 righthander struck out eight over seven innings and induced a pair of ground ball double plays.
Sheldon Neuse went 4-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored to lead the way offensively for the Sooners. He delivered an RBI double in the bottom of the first as the first of three consecutive OU hitters to drive in a run. Starting pitcher Brett Haan dropped a throw at first base while covering the bag on a chopper to the right side of the infield, and the extra out in the frame allowed two more runs to score.
Chris Shaw and Neuse each connected for a solo home run, going deep in the second and fifth innings, respectively.
Kyle Wood singled twice to improve to 5-for-7 with two walks in the series. His one-out single led to the Boilers' only run of the game as they broke up the shutout with two outs in the ninth inning. After walks to Kyle Johnson and Jack Picchiotti loaded the bases, Alec Olund's infield single plated Jeff Evak as the pinch runner for Wood. Olund also singled as a pinch hitter to lead off the eighth to record his first multi-hit game as a Boilermaker.
Wood singled to open the second inning, Cody Strong walked to begin the fourth and Johnson was hit by a pitch to start the fifth. But Purdue did not have a runner reach third base until the top of the ninth. The Boilers got back-to-back singles from Jordan Lewis and Harry Shipley in the third inning, but Michael Vilardo hit into a 5-3 double play moments later. Purdue did not record another hit against Hansen.
Kyle Van Hoeck retired all six batters he faced as the first Boilermaker out of the bullpen. Joe Eichmann escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth, putting up a zero after the Sooners had runners on second and third with no outs in the inning.
Vilardo drew a walk in his final plate appearance to extend his reached base safely streak to 10 consecutive games. Wood's streak is at nine straight games after recording multiple hits for the sixth time during that stretch.
The rubber game of the series is slated for 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Purdue has not won the rubber game of a weekend series since April 2012 at Nebraska, a streak of nine straight losses.