Box Scores: Game 1 / Game 2 /// Series Stats / Spring Break Stats
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Purdue baseball scored in five of the final six innings in both ends of a Saturday doubleheader at Santa Clara to sweep the twinbill and complete a four-game series sweep on the second half of the Boilermakers' spring break trip.
Purdue (10-8) won game one 8-7 after overcoming deficits of 3-0, 4-3 and 6-5. A four-run fourth inning propelled the Boilermakers to a 10-5 victory in the nightcap. Purdue won the final five games of its spring break trip to finish the 11-day trip in California with a 5-3 mark.
PURDUE NOTABLES
- Five-game win streak is the program's longest since winning the final five games of 2015
- Swept a doubleheader for the first time since February 2015 vs. Sam Houston State in Corpus Christi, Texas
- Swept a doubleheader on an opponent's home field for the first time since March 2012 at Ohio State
- Swept a series of at least three games for the first time since May 2013 vs. Southern Illinois
- Won a four-game series on the road for the first time since February 2011 at Morehead State
- Swept a four-game series for the first time since April 2008 vs. Minnesota
- Swept a four-game series on the road for the first time since April 2001 at Northwestern
Coach @Waz4412 recaps his favorite moments of today's doubleheader sweep & how the team prepares for 1-run games. https://t.co/8feOd0ZdFG
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) March 19, 2017
PURDUE'S TOP PERFORMERS
- Jacson McGowan finished the day 5-for-8 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI. He also struck out the five of the eight batters he faced over two innings of one-hit relief in the nightcap to be credited with the win. He homered to lead off the second inning of game two, connecting for Purdue's only long ball of the eight-game spring break trip. He had a pair of RBI doubles in game one and finished the series with eight RBI.
- Skyler Hunter drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning of game one with a sacrifice fly. He delivered a three-run double to highlight the Boilermakers' four-run fourth inning in the nightcap. The switch-hitter finished the day with five RBI and was the only Boilermaker to hit safely in all eight games of the spring break trip. The freshman has hit safely in every game of each of Purdue's three four-game series this year.
- Mike Madej had two hits in both wins Saturday, scoring the go-ahead run in game one after doubling to lead off the ninth inning. He had an RBI single in consecutive innings in the nightcap. The switch-hitter finished the series with eight hits and seven runs scored.
- Ross Learnard worked three innings of one-hit relief in game one, retiring eight of the 10 batters he faced. The lefty worked nine innings of scoreless four-hit relief over four appearances on the spring break trip, striking out nine.
- Nick Dalesandro was finally held hitless for the first time this month in the nightcap of the doubleheader, ending his 10-game hit streak. Harry Shipley, Dalesandro and Hunter reached base safely in every game of the road trip. Dalesandro will head back to the Midwest riding a 14-game reached base safely streak. Shipley has been on base in 10 straight games and 17 of the 18 games this year.
The Boilermakers return to action Wednesday when they open midweek play at Ball State. First pitch in Muncie is slated for 3 p.m. ET. It will be Purdue's first game in the Eastern Time Zone this season.
GAME 1: PURDUE 8, SANTA CLARA 7
The Boilermakers scored a single run in each of the final three innings to first tie the game and then take the lead twice. With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth, Hunter fouled off numerous pitches before finally hitting a line drive to left field. Purdue gambled and had Madej tag up from third. He was able to score after third baseman John Cresto cut off the throw and couldn't find the ears on the ball for a relay to the plate.
McGowan doubled into the right field corner to plate a pair in the fifth inning and delivered another RBI double in the top of the seventh. However, Madej was unable to score from second base on the rocket off the left field wall, allowing Purdue to only tie the game instead of taking the lead.
Bryce Bonner doubled to lead off the eighth inning and scored the initial go-ahead run on sac fly from Alec Olund. But Santa Clara tied the game when Cresto hit the first pitch of the bottom of the frame over the left field wall for SCU's third homer of the game.
The first six Purdue batters to come to the dish in the fourth inning put together a productive plate appearance as the Boilermakers scored three times to tie the game. Dalesandro led off with a single, McGowan delivered a hit-and-run single through the right side and Evan Kennedy plated the first run with a sac fly to left field that was dropped. Hunter followed with an RBI single and Evan Warden executed the first of his two squeeze bunts on the day to plate the final run.
Starter Gareth Stroh labored over four innings for the second straight start, but minimized the damage despite surrendering six hits and seven walks. The Broncos (4-16) stranded eight runners on base against him. Stroh induced three key pop ups with a runner on third base and less than two outs. Santa Clara also did Purdue a favor when it ran into an out on the bases on an RBI single in its three-run second inning. It saved the Boilermakers a run when Andre Nnebe followed with a two-run double.
GAME 2: PURDUE 10, SANTA CLARA 5
Purdue scored seven times over the middle innings, breaking open a game that was tied 1-1 entering the fourth. The Boilermakers only hit the ball out of the infield once in their four-run top of the fourth. Instead, consecutive walks to Dalesandro and McGowan along with a Kennedy beating out a sacrifice bunt for a hit loaded the bases for Hunter, who connected for an opposite-field, bases-clearing double to the wall in left center. Two more sac bunts followed, with Warden squeezing home Hunter.
Starter Mike Kornacker retired eight of the nine batters he faced from the first through fourth innings after giving up an early run. The Boilermakers committed a pair of errors in the bottom of the fourth to help SCU score twice. But Purdue did play well defensively on the road trip, posting a .979 fielding percentage while committing just six errors to its opponents' 18.
Doubles by Olund and Shipley in the sixth and eighth innings both led to runs. The Boilermakers had 13 doubles in the series and 26 on the road trip.