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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Highlighted by home runs from four-year starters Kyle Johnson and Kyle Wood, Purdue baseball's seniors all contributed to an 8-0 win vs. Cal State Northridge on an emotional Senior Day season finale Sunday afternoon at Alexander Field.
The Boilermakers (10-44) posted all three of their victories in the series in shutout fashion, pitching 34 scoreless innings total in the four-game set and recording three shutout wins over a four-game stretch for the first time since March 1993. Senior Mike Lutz worked 5 2/3 innings of two-hit ball Sunday in his final outing, marking the third time this season he pitched at least five scoreless innings as the starter.
Not only were Purdue's 13 seniors recognized before the game, but Boilermakers past and present also took a moment to say thank you to 18th-year head coach Doug Schreiber. The program's all-time wins leader has opted to step down with 485 career victories. Before he was sent out a winner Sunday, Schreiber's current players and a handful of alumni greeted him behind home plate following the pregame meeting with the umpires.
Johnson connected for an opposite-field home run into the right field bullpen to open the scoring in the fourth inning. It was his seventh homer of the season and 17th career. The senior recorded his 200th career hit in his final at-bat of the game.
After four different Purdue seniors recorded an RBI in the sixth inning, Wood's majestic three-run shot to right center in the bottom of the seventh accounted for the final margin. He finished his senior season with 12 home runs, good for ninth in the team record book and the most by a Boilermaker since 2009. Wood finished his career with 26 homers, ranking seventh all-time in program history.
Lots of highlights from today's memorable 8-0 Senior Day win, headlined by home runs by Johnson & Wood. #BoilerUp https://t.co/0xgGjoFgaZ
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) May 22, 2016
All eight Purdue hitters to come to the plate in the four-run sixth inning had a productive plate appearance. After free passes to Johnson and Wood followed by a sac bunt by Daniel Sander, Justin Gubser delivered an RBI single to left field. Cody Strong executed a squeeze bunt to plate another insurance run. James Jewell came through with a two-out RBI single to keep the line moving. After Harry Shipley was hit by a pitch, Brett Carlson capped the rally with an opposite-field RBI double.
Seniors Jack Picchiott and Johnson singled in front of Wood's home run in the bottom of the seventh.
Tanner Andrews closed out the win with 3 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, striking out four while earning his first collegiate save. He struck out CSUN's No. 3 hitter with the potential tying run on third base to end the sixth inning.
Lutz (2-2) retried 10 consecutive batters from the first through fourth innings, and 15 of 16 until a one-out double in the top of the sixth. He also struck out four.
Purdue pitchers had more strikeouts (29) than hits allowed (24) over 37 innings in the series. Only two of those 24 hits went for extra bases.
Although four-game series have been fairly rare since the Big Ten moved to traditional three-game weekend series beginning in 2009, the Boilermakers did post their first four-game series victory since February 2011 at Morehead State. It was Purdue's first four-game series win at home since sweeping four from Minnesota in April 2008.