Box Score: PDF / XML /// Stats: Series / April
Weekend Photo Gallery
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – It had been nearly a full decade since Purdue baseball won the rubber game of a weekend series at home, but eight zeros from the pitching staff helped the Boilermakers clinch a series victory with a 6-2 win vs. Southeast Missouri at Alexander Field.
Purdue (17-26) won its fourth weekend series of the season Sunday, three coming via rubber-game victories. The Boilermakers have now won three rubber games in the same year for the first time since 2011. But they had not won a rubber game at home since the 2009 regular-season finale vs. Illinois. The program had lost 10 consecutive rubber games at home during that span.
Patrick J. Smith struck out seven while working four scoreless innings for the second time this week. Austin Peterson retired eight of the nine batters he faced over 2 2/3 innings of one-hit relief, earning his first collegiate save.
Cole McKenzie extended his hit to 11 consecutive games with his fourth three-hit game of the season. Milo Beam executed a squeeze bunt for the third time this week, extending his RBI streak to six consecutive games.
Skyler Hunter and McKenzie delivered consecutive two-out RBI singles in the third inning, helping Purdue build a 3-0 lead. Bryce Bonner and Beam also drove in runs with two-out hits.
Tyler Powers led off the bottom of the third with a gapper to left center that went for a triple. He scored on the squeeze bunt and was the base runner on all three of Beam's successful squeezes this week. Powers also turned an inning-ending 6-3 double play in the top of the sixth, helping to keep the Boilermakers in front after a two-run single allowed SEMO (20-25) to cut its deficit in half.
As the catcher, Bonner made a fine running catch on a foul pop up for the first out of the sixth inning. The Redhawks' pinch hitter was unable to get the bunt down on the play. James Kulak got the next batter to hit the ground ball to shortstop that Powers turned into the inning-ending double play.
Peterson retired the first seven batters he faced, stranding a pair of inherited runners in the top of the seventh and working a 1-2-3 inning the following frame.
Hunter extended his reached base safely streak to 24 consecutive games, matching the longest streak of his career. McKenzie has reached base safely multiple times in all 11 games of his hit streak. Bonner is riding an eight-game reached base safely streak and Zac Fascia has hit safely in seven straight games.
Purdue is idle from midweek action this week due to final exams on campus. The nine-game homestand at Alexander Field continues Friday with a 6 p.m. ET series opener vs. Michigan State.
Weekend Photo Gallery
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – It had been nearly a full decade since Purdue baseball won the rubber game of a weekend series at home, but eight zeros from the pitching staff helped the Boilermakers clinch a series victory with a 6-2 win vs. Southeast Missouri at Alexander Field.
Purdue (17-26) won its fourth weekend series of the season Sunday, three coming via rubber-game victories. The Boilermakers have now won three rubber games in the same year for the first time since 2011. But they had not won a rubber game at home since the 2009 regular-season finale vs. Illinois. The program had lost 10 consecutive rubber games at home during that span.
Patrick J. Smith struck out seven while working four scoreless innings for the second time this week. Austin Peterson retired eight of the nine batters he faced over 2 2/3 innings of one-hit relief, earning his first collegiate save.
Cole McKenzie extended his hit to 11 consecutive games with his fourth three-hit game of the season. Milo Beam executed a squeeze bunt for the third time this week, extending his RBI streak to six consecutive games.
Skyler Hunter and McKenzie delivered consecutive two-out RBI singles in the third inning, helping Purdue build a 3-0 lead. Bryce Bonner and Beam also drove in runs with two-out hits.
Tyler Powers led off the bottom of the third with a gapper to left center that went for a triple. He scored on the squeeze bunt and was the base runner on all three of Beam's successful squeezes this week. Powers also turned an inning-ending 6-3 double play in the top of the sixth, helping to keep the Boilermakers in front after a two-run single allowed SEMO (20-25) to cut its deficit in half.
Smith struck out two batters in three consecutive innings. Having thrown 81 pitches, he was lifted after a two-out hit by pitch in the fifth inning. The lefty made two starts this week, working a combined 8 2/3 innings of four-hit ball while recording 13 strikeouts vs. just one walk. He threw 120 pitches over the two outings.Tyler Powers tripled & scored twice Sunday. He also turned a key 6-3 double play to end the 6th inning. Hear from @tyler_powers2 after the rubber game win vs SEMO. #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/HsGPpuozFj
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) April 28, 2019
As the catcher, Bonner made a fine running catch on a foul pop up for the first out of the sixth inning. The Redhawks' pinch hitter was unable to get the bunt down on the play. James Kulak got the next batter to hit the ground ball to shortstop that Powers turned into the inning-ending double play.
Peterson retired the first seven batters he faced, stranding a pair of inherited runners in the top of the seventh and working a 1-2-3 inning the following frame.
Hunter extended his reached base safely streak to 24 consecutive games, matching the longest streak of his career. McKenzie has reached base safely multiple times in all 11 games of his hit streak. Bonner is riding an eight-game reached base safely streak and Zac Fascia has hit safely in seven straight games.
Purdue is idle from midweek action this week due to final exams on campus. The nine-game homestand at Alexander Field continues Friday with a 6 p.m. ET series opener vs. Michigan State.
Coach @Waz4412 was pleased with how his team played a complete game in its rubber game win vs SEMO. Lots of reasons to be optimistic about what he saw this week with 3 big series left in conference play. #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/upQmFqwkCX
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) April 28, 2019