LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Saint Louis scored in only one inning but the three-run rally was enough to defeat Purdue baseball 3-2 after the Boilermakers did not capitalize fully on a few prime scoring opportunities Friday afternoon.
Purdue (2-9) loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning but scored only once, and that runner came home on a 6-3 double play ball. The Boilermakers enjoyed a 9-4 edge in the hit column but struck out 13 times and left nine runners on base.
Tanner Andrews (0-3) retired the first nine SLU batters of the game in order, only to see nine men come to the plate for the Billikens (6-8) in the fourth inning. Four of the first five batters of the frame reached base safely, consecutive singles to right field igniting the three-run rally.
Shane Bryant struck out six over 3 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, retiring 10 of the 13 batters he faced in another strong long-relief outing. He fanned the Billikens' 1-2-3 hitters in order in the bottom of the fifth inning.
But it was SLU starter Matt Eckelman (2-2) that really used the strikeout to his advantage, fanning 11 over 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball. The senior struck out five consecutive hitters from the third through fourth innings while recording 11 of his 20 outs via the K. Purdue got seven hits against him but squandered scoring chances in the second and fifth innings along with a leadoff double in the top of the third.
Cody Strong and Harry Shipley both had a pair of hits for the Boilermakers. Nick Dalesandro came through with an RBI infield single in the second inning to extend his hitting streak to nine consecutive games. Jacson McGowan led off the second with a base hit to reach base safely for the seventh straight game.
A leadoff walk to Brett Carlson and a base hit from Alec Olund put the tying run on base for Purdue in the ninth inning. Shipley then beat out a sacrifice bunt attempt to load the bases. Saint Louis went to the bullpen for right-hander Nick Vichio, who got Strong to ground into a 6-3 double play. Carlson scored on the play but Olund was left at third as the tying run when Vichio retired Jack Picchiotti on a comebacker after a long at-bat.
The key play of SLU's three-run fourth inning proved to be Parker Sniatynski beating the throw to first to stay out of an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded. Saint Louis took a 2-1 lead on the play and tacked on an unearned run moments later when McGowan threw wide of first after a slow chopper to third base.
With McGowan aboard in the second inning, Wood doubled over the left fielder's head to create the game's first scoring chance. Dalesandro followed with an infield hit deep in the hole on the left side. McGowan scored easily on the play but Wood had to hold his ground at second. A sac bunt by Carlson again gave Purdue runners on the second and third with one out, but Eckelman struck out the next two batters to limit the damage.
Three consecutive singles from Shipley, Strong and Picchiotti loaded the bases for the Boilermakers in the top of the fifth inning, but they didn't score after Eckelman used a strike out and foul pop to escape the jam.
Purdue continues play at Kansas' Millard Management Classic on Saturday with a noon ET game against North Dakota. The Jayhawks defeated UND in Friday's second game.