GREENVILLE, S.C. – Errors and walks mounted throughout the day, coinciding with another quiet day offensively for the Boilermakers as Purdue baseball dropped both ends of a Saturday doubleheader with No. 19 Michigan.
The Wolverines (6-1) were victorious 4-0 and 9-2 to clinch a series win in the four-game set.
Ben Nisle went deep in the ninth inning of the nightcap, hitting Purdue's first home run of the season and the 10th of his career. He's now accounted for the the team's first homer in three different seasons (2018, 2019, 2021) and gone deep in each of his four years with the program. He's the first Boilermaker with a double-figure career total since Jacson McGowan (21) was drafted following his junior season in 2018. McGowan's final home run for Purdue was part of a back-to-back set with Nisle at an NCAA Regional.
Calvin Schapira gave the Boilermakers (1-6) an opportunity to win in game 1, surrendering just one earned run over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.
Purdue committed two errors in both games, conceding four unearned runs over the course of the day. In his first two starts as a Boilermaker, Schapira (0-2) has been charged with eight runs, but only two have been earned.
In the nightcap, starter Calvin Starnes surrendered just one hit to the 11 batters he faced. But that lone hit was a big blow. Jimmy Obertop connected for a grand slam to left field after three straight two-out free passes in front of him. Starnes (0-1) walked five and hit a batter before being lifted in the second inning. And while Purdue was able to keep Michigan off the scoreboard until the fourth inning of game 1, the Wolverines raced out an early 7-0 lead in the second game of the day.
Michigan pitchers issues only three walks on the day and their teammates backed them up with a clean day defensively.
Sunday's series finale is slated for 9 a.m. ET.
SATURDAY NOTABLES
• Jack Firestone, Steve Ramirez and Jeremy Schork each recorded their first hits as Boilermakers. Schork's pinch-hit RBI double ended Purdue's scoring drought at 19 consecutive innings in the top of the seventh of the nightcap. Firestone singled in the seventh inning of game 1 and Ramirez hit a rocket off the mini Green Monster in left field in the second inning of game 2.
• Skyler Hunter finished the day 3-for-8 with a double, recording his 68th career multi-hit effort in game 1. He moved into 12th place in program history with 227 hits as a Boilermaker. The center fielder also threw out a runner at second base from for his eighth career outfield assist. With a base hit in his final at-bat of the nightcap, Hunter extended his reached base safely streak in Big Ten play to 13 consecutive games. It dates back to May 2019.
• Miles Simington finished the day 2-for-7 with a single in both games to extend his hit streak to eight consecutive games dating back to the end of the 2020 season.
• Ben Nisle doubled and homered in his final two at-bats of the day to finish the twinbill 3-for-7 while also scoring both of Purdue's runs. He leads the team with five extra-base hits and has three in the series. Nisle also recorded an outfield assist, his second of the season, when the Boilermakers doubled off a runner at first base in the seventh inning of game 2.
• Avery Cook struck out two of the three batters he faced while working a 1-2-3 eighth inning as Purdue's final pitcher of the day.
• Ricky Castro enjoyed his longest and most effective outing as a Boilermaker. He worked 3 2/3 innings of two-run relief and issued only one base on balls after walking four last weekend vs. Nebraska.
The Wolverines (6-1) were victorious 4-0 and 9-2 to clinch a series win in the four-game set.
Ben Nisle went deep in the ninth inning of the nightcap, hitting Purdue's first home run of the season and the 10th of his career. He's now accounted for the the team's first homer in three different seasons (2018, 2019, 2021) and gone deep in each of his four years with the program. He's the first Boilermaker with a double-figure career total since Jacson McGowan (21) was drafted following his junior season in 2018. McGowan's final home run for Purdue was part of a back-to-back set with Nisle at an NCAA Regional.
Calvin Schapira gave the Boilermakers (1-6) an opportunity to win in game 1, surrendering just one earned run over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.
Purdue committed two errors in both games, conceding four unearned runs over the course of the day. In his first two starts as a Boilermaker, Schapira (0-2) has been charged with eight runs, but only two have been earned.
In the nightcap, starter Calvin Starnes surrendered just one hit to the 11 batters he faced. But that lone hit was a big blow. Jimmy Obertop connected for a grand slam to left field after three straight two-out free passes in front of him. Starnes (0-1) walked five and hit a batter before being lifted in the second inning. And while Purdue was able to keep Michigan off the scoreboard until the fourth inning of game 1, the Wolverines raced out an early 7-0 lead in the second game of the day.
Michigan pitchers issues only three walks on the day and their teammates backed them up with a clean day defensively.
Sunday's series finale is slated for 9 a.m. ET.
SATURDAY NOTABLES
• Jack Firestone, Steve Ramirez and Jeremy Schork each recorded their first hits as Boilermakers. Schork's pinch-hit RBI double ended Purdue's scoring drought at 19 consecutive innings in the top of the seventh of the nightcap. Firestone singled in the seventh inning of game 1 and Ramirez hit a rocket off the mini Green Monster in left field in the second inning of game 2.
• Skyler Hunter finished the day 3-for-8 with a double, recording his 68th career multi-hit effort in game 1. He moved into 12th place in program history with 227 hits as a Boilermaker. The center fielder also threw out a runner at second base from for his eighth career outfield assist. With a base hit in his final at-bat of the nightcap, Hunter extended his reached base safely streak in Big Ten play to 13 consecutive games. It dates back to May 2019.
• Miles Simington finished the day 2-for-7 with a single in both games to extend his hit streak to eight consecutive games dating back to the end of the 2020 season.
• Ben Nisle doubled and homered in his final two at-bats of the day to finish the twinbill 3-for-7 while also scoring both of Purdue's runs. He leads the team with five extra-base hits and has three in the series. Nisle also recorded an outfield assist, his second of the season, when the Boilermakers doubled off a runner at first base in the seventh inning of game 2.
• Avery Cook struck out two of the three batters he faced while working a 1-2-3 eighth inning as Purdue's final pitcher of the day.
• Ricky Castro enjoyed his longest and most effective outing as a Boilermaker. He worked 3 2/3 innings of two-run relief and issued only one base on balls after walking four last weekend vs. Nebraska.