EAST LANSING, Mich. – Purdue baseball rallied for five runs over the final three innings to defeat Penn State 8-5, giving the Boilermakers a doubleheader split with PSU and Michigan State on day 3 of the three-team pod Sunday at the Spartans' McLane Stadium.
The Boilermakers (5-15) lost the nightcap to MSU 5-2. It marked the first time since February 2018 that Purdue played two different teams on the same day. Purdue and Michigan State (11-10) play again Monday at 3 p.m. ET to conclude the three-team pod.
Trent Johnson (1-2) matched his career high with 10 strikeouts over six innings in the Penn State win. He has racked up 24 strikeouts in 14 1/3 career innings vs. the Nittany Lions (8-13). Nick Alvarado closed out the victory with three innings of one-run relief, earning his first save as a Boilermaker. Johnson and Alvarado combined for 13 strikeouts and Purdue had 25 strikeouts in the two games with PSU this weekend.
Ben Nisle reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances in Sunday's victory. He singled twice, was hit by a pitch twice and drew a walk. Nisle came around to score three times and is riding a nine-game reached base safely streak.
Tyler Powers doubled in both games to extend his career-best reached safely streak to 14 consecutive games. Miles Simington doubled twice in the nightcap and reached base safely six times on the day. Purdue's right fielder has eight doubles in the last eight games and is riding a nine-game reached safely streak.
Skyler Hunter registered a single and an RBI in both games of the doubleheader and is now riding a seven-game hit streak. He threw out a runner at third base from center field in the seventh inning of game 2 for his 10th career outfield assist.
Landon Weins retired 11 of the 14 batters he faced, including the first seven, while working 3 2/3 innings of two-hit relief in the nightcap. It was his finest outing as a Boilermaker and the right-hander finished just one out shy of matching the longest appearance of the season by a Purdue reliever. As the first man out of the bullpen in game 3 of a four-game weekend, it was an effective long-relief outing that the Boilermakers really needed.
Powers' 1-out double ignited a three-run rally in the top of the seventh vs. Penn State. It was a very timely rally after the Nittany Lions had taken their first lead of the game via three consecutive two-out doubles in the previous inning. Powers was the first of six consecutive Boilermakers to reach base safely during the rally. Nisle followed with an RBI single. Cam Thompson (HBP) and Mason Gavre (walk) forced in a run when they drew bases-loaded free passes. Penn State used four pitchers in the frame.
Monday's probable pitching matchup is Cory Brooks vs. MSU's Jesse Heikkinen. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. ET as Purdue's first Monday game since the 2017 spring break trip.
SUNDAY NOTABLES
• The Boilermakers scored twice in the first inning vs. Penn State via consecutive two-out RBI singles from Zac Fascia and Cam Thompson. It marked the first time this season Purdue scored multiple runs in the first inning.
• Miles Simington's no-strikeouts streak ended at 50 consecutive plate appearances when he went down swinging in a lefty-lefty matchup vs. MSU's Nick Powers in the fifth inning of the nightcap. He had not struck out since March 19.
• Trent Johnson is the first Boilermaker with a pair of 10-strikeout games since Lance Breedlove in 2012. Johnson's previous 10-K performance came as a relief pitcher in March 2019 at Northwestern.
• Fascia finished the day 3-for-5 with a walk and pinch-hit single and is a team-best 9-for-16 in the last five games.
• Mike Bolton Jr. delivered a pinch-hit double in the ninth inning of the nightcap, his third extra-base hit in 18 at-bats this season.
• Purdue scored in the ninth inning of both games and has scored 20 ninth-inning runs in its 20 games this season.
The Boilermakers (5-15) lost the nightcap to MSU 5-2. It marked the first time since February 2018 that Purdue played two different teams on the same day. Purdue and Michigan State (11-10) play again Monday at 3 p.m. ET to conclude the three-team pod.
Trent Johnson (1-2) matched his career high with 10 strikeouts over six innings in the Penn State win. He has racked up 24 strikeouts in 14 1/3 career innings vs. the Nittany Lions (8-13). Nick Alvarado closed out the victory with three innings of one-run relief, earning his first save as a Boilermaker. Johnson and Alvarado combined for 13 strikeouts and Purdue had 25 strikeouts in the two games with PSU this weekend.
Ben Nisle reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances in Sunday's victory. He singled twice, was hit by a pitch twice and drew a walk. Nisle came around to score three times and is riding a nine-game reached base safely streak.
Tyler Powers doubled in both games to extend his career-best reached safely streak to 14 consecutive games. Miles Simington doubled twice in the nightcap and reached base safely six times on the day. Purdue's right fielder has eight doubles in the last eight games and is riding a nine-game reached safely streak.
Skyler Hunter registered a single and an RBI in both games of the doubleheader and is now riding a seven-game hit streak. He threw out a runner at third base from center field in the seventh inning of game 2 for his 10th career outfield assist.
Landon Weins retired 11 of the 14 batters he faced, including the first seven, while working 3 2/3 innings of two-hit relief in the nightcap. It was his finest outing as a Boilermaker and the right-hander finished just one out shy of matching the longest appearance of the season by a Purdue reliever. As the first man out of the bullpen in game 3 of a four-game weekend, it was an effective long-relief outing that the Boilermakers really needed.
Powers' 1-out double ignited a three-run rally in the top of the seventh vs. Penn State. It was a very timely rally after the Nittany Lions had taken their first lead of the game via three consecutive two-out doubles in the previous inning. Powers was the first of six consecutive Boilermakers to reach base safely during the rally. Nisle followed with an RBI single. Cam Thompson (HBP) and Mason Gavre (walk) forced in a run when they drew bases-loaded free passes. Penn State used four pitchers in the frame.
Monday's probable pitching matchup is Cory Brooks vs. MSU's Jesse Heikkinen. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. ET as Purdue's first Monday game since the 2017 spring break trip.
SUNDAY NOTABLES
• The Boilermakers scored twice in the first inning vs. Penn State via consecutive two-out RBI singles from Zac Fascia and Cam Thompson. It marked the first time this season Purdue scored multiple runs in the first inning.
• Miles Simington's no-strikeouts streak ended at 50 consecutive plate appearances when he went down swinging in a lefty-lefty matchup vs. MSU's Nick Powers in the fifth inning of the nightcap. He had not struck out since March 19.
• Trent Johnson is the first Boilermaker with a pair of 10-strikeout games since Lance Breedlove in 2012. Johnson's previous 10-K performance came as a relief pitcher in March 2019 at Northwestern.
• Fascia finished the day 3-for-5 with a walk and pinch-hit single and is a team-best 9-for-16 in the last five games.
• Mike Bolton Jr. delivered a pinch-hit double in the ninth inning of the nightcap, his third extra-base hit in 18 at-bats this season.
• Purdue scored in the ninth inning of both games and has scored 20 ninth-inning runs in its 20 games this season.