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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Shane Bryant and Tanner Andrews teamed up to keep the opposition off the scoreboard in eight of the nine innings and Purdue baseball hit a pair of home runs in a 5-2 victory vs. Michigan State on Sunday afternoon at Alexander Field.
The Boilermakers (5-27, 1-11 B1G) snapped their program-long 16-game losing streak, ending a notable skid with a Sunday victory against MSU (25-7, 7-2 B1G) for the second year in a row. Last year, Purdue ended its 16-game skid in Big Ten play with a victory in the series finale in East Lansing.
James Jewell and Brett Carlson homered to lead off the third and sixth innings, respectively. They became the first Boilermakers besides Kyle Wood and Kyle Johnson to go deep this season. Carlson hit his second Purdue home run and Jewell went deep for the first time.
Carlson reached base safely four times as part of a three-hit effort, finishing the week 9-for-17 with an extra-base hit in all four games. Wood also reached base safely four times Sunday. Johnson had three hits and Alec Olund reached base safely three times. Olund was 7-for-14 with three walks, three RBI and no strikeouts this week.
Bryant struck out seven of the first 14 batters he faced. He and Andrews teamed up to not allow a free pass in the win. Andrews (1-4) surrendered just one hit over four innings of scoreless relief.
After homering today, Brett @b_Carlson11 & James @Jewell0325 discuss #Purdue's 5-2 win vs league-leading Michigan St https://t.co/5F2OK3xC71
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) April 17, 2016
Nick Dalesandro's eight-game hit streak came to an end, but he picked up his third outfield assist of the series when he threw out Kris Simonton at the plate from left field to end the top of the second. It was the 17th runner Purdue has cut down at the plate in the last 19 games.
Carlson's solo homer gave the Boilermakers the lead back in the bottom of the sixth after Harry Shipley had scored the game-tying run on a two-out wild pitch an inning earlier.
Purdue had chances to blow the game open but went just 1-for-4 with the bases loaded. Olund delivered an RBI single with the sacks packed in the bottom of the seventh, but an inning-ending 5-2-3 double play followed.
Justin Gubser delivered an RBI single in the seventh, the third of three straight hits to begin the frame.
Andrews struck out the first batter of the sixth and eighth innings, working a 1-2-3 eighth vs. the top third of the MSU lineup. Carlson turned a line drive at his shoe tops into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play in the top of the seventh, erasing his own defensive miscue two batters earlier.
Bryant struck out two batters in an inning three times. He retired six straight after giving up a leadoff single to begin the top of the third, setting down MSU's 3-4-5 hitters in 1-2-3 fashion in the fourth inning. The senior struck out Big Ten batting average leader Jordan Zimmerman twice. Zimmerman was 0-for-4 Sunday after going 6-for-10 with four extra-base hits over the first two games.
The Spartans turned three hits into two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 2-1 lead, scoring the second run on a squeeze bunt.
Doug Schreiber was part of his 1,200th career game with the program Sunday. The 18th-year skipper coached his 974th game after also playing in 226 during his career as a four-year starting second baseman from 1983 to 1986.
The Boilermakers continue their six-game homestand Tuesday with a 6 p.m. midweek rematch against Ball State