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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- No. 25 Minnesota broke a tie score with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, taking the opener of the Big Ten Conference series with Purdue baseball 4-3 Friday evening at Alexander Field.
The Golden Gophers (31-15, 13-5 B1G) took over sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standing with their win coupled with losses by Indiana and Michigan. Dating back to the 2011 Big Ten Tournament, Minnesota has won each of its last five games against the Boilermakers all in one-run fashion.
Purdue (7-40, 2-20 B1G) fell to 1-3 in extra-inning games and 1-12 in one-run affairs this season. The Boilermakers scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to take a 3-2 lead, but the Gophers scored the game's final two runs.
Alex Boxwell's one-out double in the 10th inning led to the go-ahead run. He took third on a wild pitch and scored on the sac fly from Jordan Smith.
Minnesota's Matt Fiedler surrendered just five hits over 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball and hit a two-run homer in the third inning. But it was Micah Coffey's long ball to lead off the top of the eighth that quickly tied the score after Purdue had retaken the lead moments earlier.
Here are the highlights from tonight's extra-inning loss to No. 25 Minnesota, courtesy of @BTNStudentU https://t.co/EfbYZVvoWI
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) May 14, 2016
Tanner Andrews (1-6) struck out a career-high six over 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball. He fanned five over a stretch of seven batters in the seventh and eighth innings. He struck out the side in the top of the seventh, fanning the Gophers' No. 3 and 4 hitters with runners on the corners.
Minnesota had runners on the corners again in the ninth inning but Andrews induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to keep the game tied.
Kyle Wood singled twice and was hit by a pitch for a Big Ten-leading 16th time. His leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth was the Boilermakers' first hit since the first inning.
Purdue had the bases loaded with less than two outs in the first and seventh innings, but scored just one run in both instances. RBI ground outs from Nick Dalesandro and Brett Carlson plated the runs. Cody Strong scored the game-tying tally in the seventh on a passed ball.
Starter Gavin Downs limited the Gophers to two runs over 4 1/3 innings, both runs scoring on Fiedler's homer. Lucas Gilbreath (3-1) backed up Fiedler with 2 1/3 innings of one-run relief, striking out four of the final six batters he faced. After issuing consecutive 1-out walks in the eighth inning to put the potential go-ahead run in scoring position, the southpaw responded with back-to-back strikeouts.
Four of Minnesota's 11 hits were of the infield variety. Late in the game, shortstop Harry Shipley and Strong made athletic plays up the middle to keep the ball on the infield and prevent a runner scoring from second base. Andrews was able to get out of both jams.
Game two of the series is set for 2 p.m. Saturday.