WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue baseball scored multiple runs in each of the first four innings and rolled to a 14-5 victory against IPFW Wednesday evening at Alexander Field.
Kyle Wood and Brett Carlson each connected for a home run to left field. Harry Shipley was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a hit by pitch, sacrifice bunt and a career-high five RBI. The freshman entered the night with no extra base hits and six RBI for the season. He's the third Boilermaker to record five-plus RBI in a game this season.
Alec Olund, Michael Vilardo and Wood all reached base safely in each of their first three plate appearances. Olund and Wood both scored three times. It was Olund's first game since injuring his shoulder April 7 in a win at Indiana State. The freshman singled and doubled in his first two at-bats.
Purdue starter Gavin Downs (4-2) retired nine of the 10 batters he faced over three scoreless innings. He struck out four, fanning the final batter of all three frames he worked. Brian Ghiselli pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Mike Lutz and Alex Lyons both induced ground ball double plays.
Highlights from the BTN Student U Webcast
IPFW's Greg Kaiser hit a grand slam into the left field bullpen in the fourth inning. The ball carried well to left field throughout the evening even though the flags in center field seemed to indicate the wind was blowing in for much of the night.
James Jewell and Cody Strong each had a two-run single in the first two innings, respectively. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the third, Shipley slapped a full-count pitch down the left field line for a three-run double. An inning later, the freshman singled home two more runs to cap another four-run frame.
Wood hit an opposite-field home run to left to open the third inning. He has homered in each of the last three games at Alexander Field dating back to the April 3-5 home series against Iowa and continues to lead the team with five home runs. Carlson connected for his collegiate long ball with Wood aboard in the fourth inning. The Boilermakers (12-24) have hit nine homers in their nine games this month.
Wood extended his hitting streak to 10 consecutive games. Wednesday was his fourth multi-hit game during the streak. The victory was Purdue's ninth straight against IPFW (17-16) dating back to 2010.
The Boilermakers have now scored 33 runs in their three midweek wins this month and just 14 runs in their six Big Ten losses in April.
Purdue returns to action Friday when it opens a Big Ten series at Michigan. First pitch in Ann Arbor is slated for 4 p.m.
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Brett Carlson & Alec Olund Discuss the Win
Here is another look at that Carlson #dinger. A lot of runs being scored for @PurdueBaseball in this one! http://t.co/ZIy4hEFpmP
- BTN Student U (@BTNStudentU) April 15, 2015