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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Purdue baseball escaped a pair of late jams while limiting Ohio State to just four hits and Skyler Hunter delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning to propel the Boilermakers to a 2-1 victory in the rubber game of the series Sunday.
Purdue (15-12, 3-3 B1G) rallied to win the three-game after getting blown out 13-2 in Friday's opener. It marked only the third time since the start of the 2010 season that the Boilermakers came back to win a series after losing the opener, accomplishing the feat for the first time since May 2015 at Nebraska. They have won their last three series in Columbus dating back to 2008 and the road team has won the last eight Purdue-OSU series dating back to 2007.
After playing each of their first seven weekends on the road, including their first two of Big Ten play, the Boilermakers will now be at home for five of the next six weekends. Nineteen of Purdue's next 25 games are scheduled to be played at Alexander Field. In-state rivals Indiana State (April 4) and Indiana (April 7-9) visit West Lafayette this coming week, with the Hoosiers making their first-ever appearance at the Boilermakers' fifth-year ballpark.
Mike Kornacker (1-0) surrendered just two hits over five-plus innings of one-run ball, earning his first victory since March 2015 at Oklahoma. He had to leave the game due to injury after throwing five straight balls to begin the sixth inning. Ross Learnard and Cameron Williams backed him up with two innings of scoreless relief apiece. Both relievers escaped a jam in which Ohio State (11-16, 1-5 B1G) had the tying run in scoring position with no outs.
Learnard extended his streak of consecutive scoreless innings pitched to 17, lowering his ERA for the season to 0.44. He has allowed a run in only one of the 20 1/3 innings he has pitched and also successfully stranded all seven inherited base runners he's had to deal with.
Coach @Waz4412 discusses how quality pitching, good team baseball led #Purdue to series win in Columbus this weekend https://t.co/kjsRHyo1AQ
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) April 2, 2017
Hunter singled home Evan Warden and Harry Shipley with a base hit up the middle on a 2-2 pitch in the top of the sixth inning. Warden opened the frame with a single and Shipley reached base safely on a sac bunt when third baseman Brady Cherry's throw pulled the first baseman off the bag. Nick Dalesandro popped up his subsequent sac bunt, but the ball dropped between the catcher and pitcher to allow both runners to advance.
With a runner on third base and less than two outs this season, Hunter has driven in that run in 11 of his 12 opportunities, the best percentage on the team. For the weekend, Purdue was successful in all six such opportunities. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes plated a runner from third with less than two outs in only six of their 12 chances this weekend. And two such failed opportunities Sunday allowed the Boilermakers to win the game.
Learnard gave up a double to the first batter he faced after replacing Kornacker with a 1-0 count on Jalen Washington in the sixth inning. The two-bagger gave OSU runners on second and third with no outs for cleanup man Noah McGowan. Learnard struck out the batter with strike three in the dirt. Jacob Barnwell tried to score from third as catcher Bryce Bonner threw to first to complete the put out. Bonner was able to get back to the plate in time to take the return throw from Jacson McGowan, tagging out Barnwell on a head-first dive into home. Learnard retired the next batter on a fly ball to center field to keep Purdue in front.
Williams got off to a rocky start when he took the mound in the eighth inning, issuing a four-pitch walk to nine-hole hitter Noah West and then hitting West in the legs with a throw to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tre' Gantt. Barnwell bunted foul twice to take the count full. Ohio State kept the bunt on and Barnwell bunted foul once again for the first out of the inning. Williams came back to retire Washington on a fly ball and then struck out Noah McGowan to end the threat.
Kornacker retired 10 of OSU's first 11 batters, including eight straight from the first through fourth innings. But consecutive hit batters, a stolen base of third by Washington and a line drive sacrifice fly to left field allowed the Buckeyes to strike first in the fourth inning. The following frame, Kornacker gave up a one-out triple to Dominic Canzone after Hunter was unable to make a diving catch in left center. But Kornacker got West to foul out to first base on the next pitch and then struck out Gantt looking to strand the runner.
Ohio State's Jake Post, who had been the opening day starter and Friday arm for much of the season, matched Kornacker through five innings while limiting Purdue to just three hits. Post erased one base runner with a pickoff at first. But Warden led off the top of the sixth with a base hit to generate the Boilermakers' only rally of the day. Purdue did not have a runner advance past second base in any other inning.
Hunter's clutch single extended his reached base safely streak to 17 consecutive games. Dalesandro's 22-game reached safely streak came to an end, but Purdue's No. 3 hitter did execute the key sacrifice bunt to set the stage for Hunter's game-deciding hit. Dalesandro also made the top defensive play of the day, a running catch in foul territory in the left field corner for the second out of the day.
Hunter has driven in the go-ahead run in five of the Boilermakers' last 10 wins dating back to March 13. He has recorded a team-high 16 RBI over the last 14 games, batting .500 (9-for-18) with runners in scoring position during that stretch.
First pitch Tuesday vs. Indiana State is slated for 6 p.m. ET.