CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Each of the first six batters in Purdue baseball's lineup recorded multiple hits as the Boilermakers pounded out a season-high 16 in a 13-5 series-clinching victory at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday.
Purdue (5-4) hit four home runs, including two-run shots by Nick Dalesandro, Alec Olund and John LeGare over the final two innings to blow the game open. The Boilermakers clinched their first non-conference series victory on the road since March 2013 at Evansville.
Harry Shipley, Dalesandro and LeGare each connected for their first collegiate home run. Logan Poisall and Olund both finished with three hits and three RBI. Purdue recorded five consecutive hits in a four-run first inning, chasing SEMO starter Robert Beltran from the game after only eight batters.
Check out some raw footage of #Purdue's 4 home run swings & strike 3 of the 9 Ks racked up by Stroh & Parker today. https://t.co/lmpv8ISrb8
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) March 5, 2017
The Redhawks (5-4) tied the game at 5-5 with three two-out runs in the third inning. But Gareth Stroh and Dalton Parker teamed up to shut down the home team the rest of the way. Shipley led off the top of the fourth inning with a long ball to right field, quickly giving Purdue the lead back. The junior also recorded his first collegiate triple in the win.
The Boilermakers hit four home runs in a game for the first time since a May 2012 win at Iowa, the night they clinched an outright Big Ten title. Meanwhile, with a pair of four-run innings Saturday, Purdue has now scored four-plus times in an inning seven times this year. That matches last season's total (in 54 games).
Parker struck out the side in order in the seventh inning and six of the 13 batters he faced over three innings of one-hit relief. He has now earned a win and two saves in his first three collegiate appearances while working 11 2/3 innings of four-hit scoreless relief.
Stroh (1-1) worked a trio of 1-2-3 innings. He retired nine of the final 11 batters after SEMO tied the game with its two-out rally in the bottom of the third. The lefty allowed the leadoff man to reach base safely in only one of his six innings.
Logan @LjPoisall7 had 3 hits for 2nd day in a row, including 2-run double in a 4-run T-1st. He discusses today's win https://t.co/tMmktYn0wT
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) March 5, 2017
Mike Madej also had three hits Saturday. He was one of five Boilermakers to score at least twice. Poisall delivered a two-run double to cap the scoring in Purdue's four-run first. He also greeted SEMO reliever Carlos Vega with a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning, plating Madej. Vega went on to work three scoreless innings before giving up the triple to Shipley and opposite-field homer to Dalesandro in the top of the eighth. Poisall recorded the only hits against Vega during that three-inning stretch.
Jacson McGowan opened the scoring for Purdue with a double down the right field line in the top of the first. He also made a key defensive play at first base in the in the fifth inning, picking a low throw from Shipley with two on and two outs. The scoop brought the inning to an end instead of keeping it alive with the bases loaded for Chris Osborne, who had delivered a game-tying, two-run single in his previous at-bat.
Evan Warden was hit by a pitch in his first and final plate appearances, extending his reached base safely streak to nine consecutive games and giving the second baseman nine HBPs this season.
The series finale is set for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.