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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Nebraska scored in four of the first five innings Friday at Alexander Field, leading to another early deficit and 9-5 loss for Purdue baseball in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
The Huskers (14-10, 1-0 B1G) pounded out 14 hits over the first five innings, racing out to an 8-2 edge in the process. Since shutting out North Dakota March 12 in Lawrence, Kansas, the Boilermakers (4-15, 0-1 B1G) have been outscored a combined 46-15 over the first five innings of their last seven games.
Eddie De LaRiva struck out nine of the 19 batters he faced over 4 1/3 innings of the one-run relief, his longest outing of a Boilermaker. With Mike Lutz also striking out four batters, Purdue's 13 Ks represents its most since fanning 15 batters in a February 2015 win at Western Carolina.
Kyle Wood delivered a two-out, two-run double in the third inning, recording an extra-base hit and an RBI for the seventh straight game. He later came up just a few feet short of homering in his fifth straight game, flying out to the wall in left field to end the contest.
Kyle Johnson and Nick Dalesandro each had a pair of hits and reached base safely three times apiece. Jack Picchiotti singled in the fifth inning to extend his reached base safely streak to a career-high 12 consecutive games. Duncan McKinnon had two hits again while batting leadoff for the second game in a row.
Lutz (1-1) induced a pair of 6-4-3 double play ball but surrendered 14 hits over 4 2/3 innings, the same amount of hits he had allowed in 16 2/3 innings this season entering the night. Five of those 14 hits were doubles. The Huskers had their leadoff man reach base safely in four of the first five innings, and that runner ended up scoring in all but the top of the first. A pair of Purdue errors led to two unearned runs in the third inning as well.
De La Riva used an effective slider to finish off many of his strikeout victims, fanning Nebraska's 5-6-7 hitters in order in the top of the sixth. From the beginning of the sixth through two outs in the eighth inning, a fly out to center field was the only ball put in play against the right-hander. That stretch included a leadoff homer by Ben Miller in the eighth and a pair of batters reaching safely on a dropped third strike. De LaRiva recorded all nine of his strikeouts during that trip through the lineup, fanning seven of the nine hitters in the batting order at least once in the process.
The Boilermakers were not retired in 1-2-3 fashion until the ninth inning. Despite being behind 5-0 and 8-2, Purdue brought the potential tying run to the plate in the sixth inning and had it on deck in the bottom of the eighth. An impressive 6-4-3 double play turn by the Nebraska infield ended the Boilermakers' threat in the eighth after the first two batters of the inning had reached base safely.
Purdue brought Wood to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning after singles by Harry Shipley and Picchiotti coupled with Johnson getting hit by a pitch. Two runs ended up scoring on Wood's ground ball to second base when Nebraska's shortstop threw wide of first trying to finish off an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Johnson made a nice running catch in left center field to take away a double from Taylor Fish and finish off the eighth inning.
De LaRiva's nine strikeouts matched the most by a Purdue pitcher since Shane Bryant fanned nine over eight innings against Ball State in April of last season. Bryant is scheduled to start game two of the series Saturday, which is set for a 2 p.m. first pitch.