JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Harry Shipley reached base safely four times and Tanner Andrews induced 12 ground ball outs in his longest outing on the mound as a Boilermaker, but Purdue baseball dropped the opener of its four-game series at East Tennessee State 4-2 Friday afternoon.
The Boilermakers (1-6) had at least one base runner in eight of the nine innings, but stranded 10 men on base while going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Purdue's runs scored on a sac fly by Jacson McGowan and a towering homer to left field from Kyle Johnson.
But it was a pair of defensive plays that arguably could have been made that really haunted the Boilermakers. The Buccaneers (4-4) scored three of their four runs with two outs after a Purdue outfielder on two occasions was unable to match the catch on a ball in the glove.
The key play of the game came when Chris Cook hit a fly ball down the right field line with a runner aboard in the fifth inning. Alec Olund ran underneath the ball, but it popped out of his glove and allowed a run to score. The ruling was changed from an E-9 to a triple after the game. Hagen Owenby followed with an RBI single that gave ETSU a 3-2 lead.
Owenby also doubled off the glove of left fielder Nick Dalesandro in first inning, scoring on a two-out single by Aaron Maher. Owenby finished a triple shy of the cycle after connecting for a solo home run to begin the bottom of the eighth, going deep for the fourth game in a row.
Johnson connected for the first home run by a Boilermaker this season and the 11th long ball of his career to open the fourth inning.
Shipley led off the top of the ninth with a double to help Purdue bring the tying run to the plate. But just as they did in the first inning, the Boilermakers were unable to plate a runner from third base after he advanced there with only one out.
Brett Carlson, Cody Strong and Dalesandro all reached base safely twice in the game.
Andrews (0-2) worked three 1-2-3 frames over seven-plus innings, the longest outing by a Purdue pitcher this season. He induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play with two runners aboard in the bottom of the fourth.
The Boilermakers have left 10-plus men on base in three of their seven games. Purdue is batting .143 (8-for-56) with runners in scoring position in its six losses this season and .178 (13-for-73) with RISP in 2016 overall.
The series continues Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.