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Series Stats / Spring Break Stats
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Jacksonville State bunched four of its seven hits together in the second inning and the three-run frame featured the only scoring of the day as the Gamecocks defeated Purdue baseball 3-0 in the rubber game of the weekend series.
The Boilermakers (4-14) were shut out for the second time in the series. They scored in only one of their 27 frames this weekend, but the nine-run fifth inning Saturday was enough to avoid the sweep.
Purdue had the bases loaded with no outs in the sixth inning, but JSU (10-11) reliever Corley Woods preserved the shutout by retiring the Boilermakers' 4-5-6 hitters in order. Woods (2-0) went on to retire 9 of the 11 batters he faced and did not allow the tying run to come to the plate again.
Ryan Beard (5), Bo Hofstra (3) and Austin Peterson (2) teamed up for 10 strikeouts, Purdue's third straight double-figure strikeout total and eighth of the season. The Boilermakers racked up 32 Ks and 18 scoreless innings on the mound in the series. They have struck out 30-plus batters in each of the last two weekends, accomplishing the feat in consecutive three-game series for the first time this decade. Purdue posted a double-figure strikeout total in all three games of a series for the first time since an April 2010 sweep of Penn State at Lambert Field.
Beard (0-3) retired seven of the final 10 batters he faced after the Gamecocks' three-run second inning, erasing the only hit he surrendered during that stretch by picking the runner off as the man broke for second with a full count.
Skyler Hunter accounted for three of Purdue's six hits, his 11th career game with at least three hits. He singled to open the game and connected for a ground-rule double to begin the top of the sixth. The switch-hitter recorded hits from both side of the plate. The Boilermakers put their leadoff man aboard in four of the first seven innings, but had a runner reach third base only twice in the game overall.
Hunter hit safely in all eight games of spring break, finishing the four-city tour 14-for-35 (.400) with only one strikeout. He has now hit safely in every game of a weekend series 16 times in his career.
After not making it out of the first inning due in part to injury last Sunday, JSU starter Dylan Hathcock needed only 41 pitches to retire 11 Purdue batters over 4 1/3 innings. The Boilermakers had a runner thrown out at third to end the top of the first and grounded into an inning-ending double play two innings later.
Nick Evarts and Bryce Bonner both reached base safely twice on the day, matching what they accomplished in the nine-run fifth inning Saturday. Cole McKenzie walked to load the bases in the sixth inning, extending his team-long reached base safely streak to 12 consecutive games.
McKenzie played three different positions Sunday – right field, first base and left field. Including two relief pitchers, Purdue used eight players off the bench in the loss.
The Boilermakers have another five-game week on tap as they begin a month-long stretch of games in the Midwest. Midweek dates Tuesday at Ball State and Wednesday vs. Bowling Green are up first before Big Ten Conference play begins Friday at Northwestern. First pitch Tuesday in Muncie is slated for 3 p.m. ET.
Series Stats / Spring Break Stats
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Jacksonville State bunched four of its seven hits together in the second inning and the three-run frame featured the only scoring of the day as the Gamecocks defeated Purdue baseball 3-0 in the rubber game of the weekend series.
The Boilermakers (4-14) were shut out for the second time in the series. They scored in only one of their 27 frames this weekend, but the nine-run fifth inning Saturday was enough to avoid the sweep.
Purdue had the bases loaded with no outs in the sixth inning, but JSU (10-11) reliever Corley Woods preserved the shutout by retiring the Boilermakers' 4-5-6 hitters in order. Woods (2-0) went on to retire 9 of the 11 batters he faced and did not allow the tying run to come to the plate again.
Ryan Beard (5), Bo Hofstra (3) and Austin Peterson (2) teamed up for 10 strikeouts, Purdue's third straight double-figure strikeout total and eighth of the season. The Boilermakers racked up 32 Ks and 18 scoreless innings on the mound in the series. They have struck out 30-plus batters in each of the last two weekends, accomplishing the feat in consecutive three-game series for the first time this decade. Purdue posted a double-figure strikeout total in all three games of a series for the first time since an April 2010 sweep of Penn State at Lambert Field.
Beard (0-3) retired seven of the final 10 batters he faced after the Gamecocks' three-run second inning, erasing the only hit he surrendered during that stretch by picking the runner off as the man broke for second with a full count.
Skyler Hunter accounted for three of Purdue's six hits, his 11th career game with at least three hits. He singled to open the game and connected for a ground-rule double to begin the top of the sixth. The switch-hitter recorded hits from both side of the plate. The Boilermakers put their leadoff man aboard in four of the first seven innings, but had a runner reach third base only twice in the game overall.
Hunter hit safely in all eight games of spring break, finishing the four-city tour 14-for-35 (.400) with only one strikeout. He has now hit safely in every game of a weekend series 16 times in his career.
Four of the first five JSU batters in the second inning came through with a hit. Beard struck out batters with runners on the corners twice, but could not finish the frame as quickly as he would have liked. After the lineup rolled over back to the top with two outs, consecutive walks forced in the third run. Isaac Alexander's RBI double was the hit of the frame, coming after Beard had struck out the previous batter. Purdue failed to cover first base on a subsequent squeeze bunt, giving the home team an extra out in the frame.Coach Waz after Sunday's rubber game loss at Jacksonville State: "When you're in a skid everything falls on the head coach's shoulders & I take full responsibility for it. The team is not progressing at the level we need to yet." pic.twitter.com/F98XTkSk5F
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) March 17, 2019
After not making it out of the first inning due in part to injury last Sunday, JSU starter Dylan Hathcock needed only 41 pitches to retire 11 Purdue batters over 4 1/3 innings. The Boilermakers had a runner thrown out at third to end the top of the first and grounded into an inning-ending double play two innings later.
Nick Evarts and Bryce Bonner both reached base safely twice on the day, matching what they accomplished in the nine-run fifth inning Saturday. Cole McKenzie walked to load the bases in the sixth inning, extending his team-long reached base safely streak to 12 consecutive games.
McKenzie played three different positions Sunday – right field, first base and left field. Including two relief pitchers, Purdue used eight players off the bench in the loss.
The Boilermakers have another five-game week on tap as they begin a month-long stretch of games in the Midwest. Midweek dates Tuesday at Ball State and Wednesday vs. Bowling Green are up first before Big Ten Conference play begins Friday at Northwestern. First pitch Tuesday in Muncie is slated for 3 p.m. ET.