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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Led by a strong outing on the mound by Gavin Downs, Purdue baseball carried a two-run lead on No. 20 Maryland into the ninth inning, but the Terrapins rallied to steal the series finale, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at Alexander Field.
The Boilermakers (13-31, 1-14 Big Ten) lost after taking a lead into the ninth inning for the second time this year. It marked the third time an opponent rallied from a multiple-run deficit in the eighth inning or later.
Downs (4-3) worked eight-plus innings of six-hit ball, matching the longest outing of the season by a Purdue pitcher. The junior did not surrender a run until the seventh inning and issued just one walk on the day. But each of the first five batters reached base safely in the ninth inning. The rally was ignited by consecutive singles and Downs was lifted after he hit UMD's Anthony Papio with a pitch on a full count to load the bases.
Maryland pinch hitter Kevin Biondic executed a suicide squeeze bunt with the bases loaded and one out to plate the go-ahead run in the ninth inning. A bases-loaded walk and fielder's choice chopper to shortstop had allowed the first two runs to score earlier in the frame.
Kyle Wood reached base safely four times, singling with one out in the ninth inning to bring the potential winning run to the plate. But the Terps (30-13, 11-4 Big Ten) closed out the game with a 4-6-3 double play. Wood was intentionally walked with a runner on second base and two outs in both the fifth and seventh innings.
Harry Shipley singled twice, was hit by a pitch for a Big Ten-leading 15th time and executed a sacrifice bunt. He extended his hitting streak to nine consecutive games and reached base streak to 13 straight games.
There were a combined six sacrifice bunts in the game. The Boilermakers also squeezed in a run in the fifth inning when Kyle Johnson got the bunt down with runners on the corners for his second RBI of the game. Johnson drew his Big Ten-leading 30th walk of the season in the first inning to extend his reached base safely streak to 10 consecutive games.
Downs retired the first eight batters of the game and had surrendered just two hits through 6 2/3 innings when Maryland finally got on the board with a two-out RBI double to right field. Downs worked three true 1-2-3 innings and faced only 17 batters through the first five frames after Cody Strong robbed UMD's LaMonte Wade of a base hit to end the top of the third, and Strong and Shipley teamed up for a nice 4-6-3 double play to erase a leadoff single in the fourth.
HORRIBLE DAY FOR YARD WORK. Great day for some @PurdueBaseball pic.twitter.com/3LDmiLM6xY
-- Brent Scales (@Boiler40) April 26, 2015
The game-tying run scored in the ninth inning when Tim Lewis hit a slow chopper over the mound with the bases loaded and no outs. Shipley tried to get the force out at home but Kevin Martir slid in safely. Reliever Alex Lyons struck out the next hitter, but Biondic got the bunt down with the man on third breaking for home on a 2-1 pitch. Biondic was the fourth man to occupy the nine-hole in the Maryland lineup Sunday.
Purdue had at least one base runner in eight of the nine innings but left 11 men on base. The Terrapins used five pitchers in the game. Alex Robinson and Kevin Mooney (1-0) teamed up for 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief to finish off the win.
Ted Snidanko made his first start since suffering an injury April 11 at Illinois and became just the second Boilermaker to start in center field this year after an injury limited Johnson to a designated hitter role. Snidanko walked twice and scored on both of Johnson's RBI ground outs. Purdue had the bases loaded twice in the third inning but managed just one unearned run in the frame.
Brett Carlson drove in an insurance run in the seventh inning with a two-out single after lengthy at-bat in which he fouled off numerous pitches.
The Boilermakers close out their six-game homestand Tuesday with a 5:30 p.m. midweek date against Illinois State.
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Set No. 2 of the 2015 Purdue trading cards. Set No. 3 will be released during the Penn State series (May 14-16).
Jack Picchiotti of @purduebaseball just gives me the best photos. Here I got lucky with the sun flare as well. pic.twitter.com/LMbck9FBdv
- PinolaPhoto (@pinolaphoto) April 27, 2015