SAN MARCOS, Texas - Purdue baseball pounded out 23 runs on the day, homering three times in the first inning of the 18 played Saturday, but had to settle for a doubleheader split at Texas State after the home team rallied late for a walk-off in the nightcap.
The Boilermakers (2-1) won game one 12-8 after racing out to an early 9-0 advantage. The nightcap was a back-and-forth affair, but they were unable to finish off the Bobcats (1-2), losing 13-11 in walk-off fashion when the home team scored four in the bottom of the ninth. However, a win Sunday would give Purdue its first non-conference series victory on the road since March 2012.
Mike Madej, Jacson McGowan and Logan Poisall all connected for a home run in the first inning of the day. The Boilermakers have had plenty of three-homer games this century, yet going deep three times in the same inning stands as a rare feat that had not occurred since at least the beginning of the 2005 campaign. All three players hit their first homers as Boilermakers.
Madej finished the day with five RBI as one of four Purdue freshmen to have a major impact on the twinbill.
Dalton Parker worked five innings of one-hit relief in game one, helping the Boilermakers maintain the lead throughout despite giving up a six-run frame to Texas State in the top of the third.
Native Texan Bryce Bonner was 3-for-3 with a triple, four RBI, a walk and two runs scored as the starting catcher in the nightcap. Center fielder Skyler Hunter reached base safely three times in both games and did not strikeout in 10 plate appearances.
Purdue pitchers issued six free passes over the final two innings of the nightcap. Five of those six base runners came around to score as Texas State posted consecutive four-run frames. After tying the game on a wild bases-loaded sequence, the Bobcats were victorious on a two-out, walk-off home run from Derek Scheible.
Sunday's series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. ET first pitch.
Game One: Purdue 12, Texas State 8
Parker (1-0) replaced starter Gareth Stroh on the mound with two men on and one out in the third inning. The Boilermakers' 9-0 lead had been cut to 9-5 at that point. But Parker was able to retire eight of the first 10 batters he faced and 14 of the 17 total over five scoreless frames. He closed his outing with consecutive 1-2-3 innings.
Madej homered, singled and delivered a sacrifice fly in his first three plate appearances, leading the way as Purdue built the early 9-0 advantage. The Boilermakers sent 10 men to the plate in a four-run third inning, a frame in which seven straight batters had a productive plate appearance. Evan Warden's opposite-field double was the only extra-base hit of the rally.
Leadoff singles by Nick Dalesandro and Alec Olund led to insurance runs later in the game. But Parker's excellence on the mound helped limit the home team to runs in only one of the first eight innings, preventing the game's momentum from fully shifting to the home team after the six-run frame provided some hope.
Harry Shipley reached base safely via a free pass in each of the first three innings. He scored twice and forced home a run via a bases-loaded hit by pitch during that stretch. Warden also reached base safely three times in the win, doubling twice.
Game Two: Texas State 13, Purdue 11
After scoring a combined seven runs in the first inning over the first two games of the series, the Boilermakers trailed (3-0) for the first time on the young season in the nightcap.
Bonner's RBI triple in the third inning opened the scoring for Purdue. He singled home two more runs the following frame when the Boilermakers sent 11 men to the plate, scoring six times. Alec Olund reached base safely twice during the rally, igniting the big inning with a leadoff double.
Relievers Ross Learnard and Kyle Schweiger managed to post three consecutive zeros while retiring nine of the 12 batters to come to the plate from the fifth through seventh innings. But Schweiger loaded the bases via three straight free passes in the bottom of the eighth, walking the No. 8 and 9 hitters to begin the frame.
McGowan (0-1) was called upon to face the heart of the order, the sophomore making his collegiate debut on the mound in the process. A hit batter, two sacrifice flies and an RBI single made it a one-run game before Bonner threw out a base stealer to finally end the inning.
The bottom of Purdue's order produced what seemed like it could be a key insurance run in the top of the ninth. Hunter singled to begin the frame and scored on a sacrifice fly from Bonner after Texas State botched Warden's sac bunt.
With the bases loaded, one out and the winning run on first base in the bottom of the ninth, McGowan was able to induce a ground ball to shortstop off the bat of the Bobcats' leadoff man. Chaos ensued on the play. Purdue was able to cut down a man at the plate, but not before two runs scored on the initial throwing error by Shipley. Scheible followed with the game-ending homer.