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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Tanner Andrews worked seven shutout innings and Purdue baseball scored twice on an early squeeze bunt, defeating Rutgers 4-0 in the series opener Friday at Alexander Field.
The Boilermakers (22-16, 8-4 B1G) won their sixth straight and improved to 8-3 on Fridays this season. Purdue has surrendered just 14 runs during its second six-game win streak of the year. Both streaks have featured a shutout in a Big Ten victory.
The Boilermakers played with heavy hearts Friday after learning of the passing of Landyn Griffith in the morning. The 10-year-old ballplayer, who was battling brain cancer, spent Wednesday night at Alexander Field for the win against Indiana. He met the team before the game and was presented with a jersey. Purdue's players are wearing Team Landyn bracelets and an LG ribbon has been painted in front of the dugout.
Tanner Andrews, Nick Dalesandro & Coach Waz discuss how #Purdue won with heavy hearts Friday after learning of the passing of 10-year-old Landyn Griffith, who was at Alexander on Wednesday night. #Boilers are playing for Landyn this weekend. pic.twitter.com/vZtzXranMP
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) April 28, 2018
Jacson McGowan reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances, delivering an RBI double in his final at-bat. He has a .643 on-base percentage over the last nine games, reaching base safely at least twice in every game.
Harry Shipley, Nick Dalesandro and Ross Learnard also extended streaks Friday. Shipley's leadoff single in the fifth inning pushed his Big Ten hitting streak to 11 consecutive games, the longest by a Boilermaker since 2011. He's also riding a 16-game reached base safely streak in all games, the longest of his career and the best by a Boilermaker this year. Dalesandro singled twice and has now been on base safely in 12 consecutive games.
Learnard retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning, closing out his seventh win of the month. He stranded an inherited runner at second base and has now worked 20 2/3 consecutive scoreless frames.
Andrews (5-3) struck out six and did not surrender an extra-base hit. He has worked 14 innings of one run ball over his last two starts, striking out 15. The senior retired the final five batters he faced, working his only true 1-2-3 inning in his final frame. Andrews earned his 15th career win Friday.
Alec Olund scored from second base on Tyler Powers' squeeze bunt that opened the scoring in the bottom of the second. It was Olund's second savvy move on the base paths that inning. Evan Kennedy and Olund opened the frame with consecutive singles through the left side. Kennedy tagged up and took third on Evan Warden's fly ball down the right field line. Olund scampered into second base when the middle infielders did not cover the bag as the ball returned to the pitcher. Powers bunted the ball up the first base line and stopped as first baseman Chris Folinusz fielded the ball and awaited for the runner to approach. Olund never stopped and used a nifty slide to get around the tag on a close play at the plate.
Purdue turned a pair of 6-4-3 double plays and cut down a pair of runners that had been safe at third base. Skyler Hunter made an excellent throw home on a two-out single in the fourth inning. Kyle Walker tried to score from second base, but ended up stopping halfway between third and home when he realized Hunter's throw had beaten him by a wide margin. Warden ended up tagging Walker for the final out. It was Hunter's fourth career outfield assist.
Dalesandro picked off Juwan Harris at third base for the second out of the sixth inning. Down 2-0, Rutgers (22-16, 6-7 B1G) had runners on second and third with one out after a sacrifice bunt. With a left-handed hitter up, Dalesandro threw a rocket to Warden following a fastball on the outside corner. Harris was tagged out while diving back to the bag.
More from Nick Dalesandro, Coach Waz & Tanner Andrews as they break down #Purdue's 6th straight win, a 4-0 victory vs. Rutgers. #Boilers improved to 8-3 on Fridays this season. #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/6AZON37mom
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) April 28, 2018
Kennedy's leadoff double in the sixth inning led to an insurance run after a sacrifice bunt by Olund and sac fly from Warden.
Trevor Cheaney went through the two through five spots in the Rutgers lineup while posting a zero. He has worked 6 2/3 innings of three-hit relief over the his last five appearances, striking out nine.
Andrews escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the second thanks in part to a strikeout for the second out of the frame. He had at least one K in five of his seven innings.
The Boilermakers have turned seven double plays in their last 20 innings dating back to the top of the eighth of Tuesday's win vs. Chicago State.
Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.