Box Scores: Game 1 / Game 2 // Video Replays / Photo Gallery
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue baseball scored first in both games but came up on the short end of a pair of low-scoring games, 3-1 and 3-2, in doubleheader action with Ohio State on Friday at Alexander Field.
The Buckeyes (27-14-1, 7-7 B1G) improved to 7-1 at Alexander Field while making their third trip to West Lafayette in the last four years. The road team has now won 18 of the last 22 regular-season games in the series dating back to 2007.
The nightcap ended in controversial fashion when Alec Olund was called out on a bang-bang play at first base as the potential tying run crossed home plate. With runners on the corners and two outs, Olund put together an 11-pitch at-bat against OSU's Ryan Feltner, hitting a ground ball deep in the hole on the left side. Shortstop Craig Nennig made the play to his right and his long throw across the diamond was ruled to be in time to get Olund at first.
Ohio State won game two despite scoring in just one inning. Two of the Buckeyes' three runs were unearned after a two-out error kept the top of the second alive.
Jacob Bosiokovic finished the day with five hits, highlighted by a two-run homer in game one that put OSU in front for the first time. It was his 10th long ball of the season to tie Kyle Wood for the Big Ten lead. He also delivered a two-out RBI single in the nightcap.
Although he did allow an inherited base runner to score in game one, Tanner Andrews worked five innings of two-hit relief on the day. The sophomore became the first Purdue pitcher to appear in both games of a doubleheader this season. He retired nine of the 10 batters he faced over three innings of scoreless relief in the nightcap.
Gavin Downs (1-4) put together a quality start for the second Friday in a row, working seven-plus innings of three-run ball in game one. The only runs that scored while he was on the mound came home on Bosiokovic's fifth-inning homer.
But Tanner Tully (5-3) matched Downs in the afternoon affair, surrendering just three singles over seven innings of one-run ball. Tully retired all nine batters he faced in his first trip through the Purdue lineup and faced only 27 batters in seven innings. Kyle Johnson singled home Cody Strong in the fourth inning for the Boilermakers' only run.
The series finale is set for 2 p.m. Saturday but the game could be moved to Sunday if Saturday's rainy forecast proves true.
Game 1: Ohio State 3, Purdue 1
Johnson's RBI single in the fourth inning extended his reached base safely streak to 15 consecutive games, tying the center fielder with Strong for the longest streak on the team this season.
The Boilermakers (7-33, 2-15 B1G) brought the tying run to the plate in both the eighth and ninth innings, but were unable to come up with a big hit.
Downs worked three 1-2-3 frames, retiring seven consecutive batters from the fifth through seventh innings. Andrews escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth and worked a 1-2-3 ninth.
Ohio State bunted three times in the eighth inning, extending its lead on Troy Kuhn's RBI single. Andrews was able to cut down a runner at the plate on the squeeze bunt attempt that followed.
Strong and Wood were the only Boilermakers to reach base safely twice in the game. Meanwhile, OSU's top third of the lineup all had two hits to account for six of the visitors' 10 hits. The bottom third of the lineup was 0-for-9 against Downs.
Game 2: Ohio State 3, Purdue 2
Jacson McGowan doubled off the glove of right fielder Tre' Gantt with one out in the ninth inning to set the stage for the exciting finish. Daniel Sander followed with a pinch-hit single to left field, but pinch runner Duncan McKinnon was unable to score on the play as the line drive one-hopped Ronnie Dawson near the foul line.
Strong fouled off a pitch while attempting a squeeze bunt, but eventually struck out against Feltner for the key second out. Olund fouled off at least six pitches before finally hitting the ground ball to the left side on a full count.
Strong opened the game with a triple off the glove of Troy Montgomery in center field. He scored on a RBI ground out from Olund. Nick Dalesandro delivered an RBI single in the fourth inning, but the Boilermakers would leave the bases loaded in the frame.
Matt Frawley (1-5) had to pitch the majority of the game out of the stretch after allowing at least one base runner in all five innings he worked. Ohio State's leadoff man reached safely in the second, third and fourth innings. Frawley was still able to put up four zeros though after the Buckeyes were just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Brett Carlson singled, walked twice and scored a run. But Purdue's 2-3-4 hitters -- Olund, Johnson and Wood -- were a combined 1-for-13.