10 PM UPDATE: Doubleheader on Sunday. The IU-Purdue series will conclude with a 1 p.m. ET doubleheader Sunday at Alexander Field. Sunday's ticket is good for both games. Friday/Monday tickets can be exchanged for general admission seats to any future home date.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Jackson Smeltz dominated to the tune of a career-high 13 strikeouts over eight innings of one-hit ball, carrying Purdue baseball to a 17-0 victory vs. Indiana that matched the largest margin of victory in the storied rivalry series.
Smeltz (5-0) struck out five in a row at one point and 13 of the 27 batters he faced overall, posting his fourth double-figure total of the season. He matched the most strikeouts ever by a Purdue lefthander, tying David Gassner's total in a March 1999 game vs. Wright State that ranks third most overall in team history.
Smeltz registered the most Ks by a Boilermaker since Matt Morgan struck out 14 in 2010, which was also the same season a Purdue pitcher last had four 10-plus strikeout performances. All-time strikeouts king Matt Bischoff did it en route to a single-season record 95 Ks. With 64 punchouts in 44 innings this season, Smeltz is on pace to break Bischoff's record.
Highlighted by a three-run homer from Ryan Howe in his first at-bat since March 2, the Boilermakers (20-6, 2-3 B1G) scored 10 runs in the eighth inning to blow the game open. It was Purdue's first 10-run inning since an April 2013 home win vs. UIC. The Boilermakers have scored seven-plus in an inning five times in 26 games this year.
Purdue improved to 4-1 vs. IU at Alexander Field. Dating back to 2007, the Boilermakers are 16-4 vs. Indiana in games played away from Bloomington.
Purdue posted its first shutout victory since a 1-0 home win vs. Penn State in March 2019. It was the first shutout victory vs. the Hoosiers (11-17, 1-3 B1G) since a 3-0 W in the winner's bracket final of the 2012 Big Ten Tournament in Columbus.
CJ Valdez and Cam Thompson singled and walked with two outs in the first inning to ignite a four-run rally, extending their on-base streaks to 23 and 26 consecutive games. Valdez finished the day 3-for-4 with two RBI and his fourth double in the last seven games.
Third baseman Troy Viola dove into the crowd to catch a foul pop up for the second out of the seventh inning, retiring Big Ten home run leader Matthew Ellis in the process.
The only hit Smeltz allowed was a leadoff single in the fourth inning. He's worked 13 innings of two-hit ball over his last two outings, dropping his batting average against for the season to .184.
With Smeltz over 100 pitches, head coach Greg Goff went to the mound after a one-out walk in the eighth inning. But he left the Lafayette native in the game and Smeltz responded by striking out the next two batters. He threw 121 pitches Saturday and frustrated IU with his quick pace early in the game. Smeltz punched out five his first time through the lineup and went on to strike out 10 of the first 18 batters he faced.
Evan Albrecht and Jake Jarvis delivered consecutive two-out, two-run singles in the first inning. Albrecht scored from second base on Jarvis' infield hit after extending his on-base streak to 18 consecutive games.
The Boilermakers have been victorious in three of the four games in the rivalry series in which the margin of victory was 17 runs.
• 1923: Purdue 22, Indiana 5
• 1961: Indiana 19, Purdue 2
• 2006: Purdue 25, Indiana 8
• Saturday: Purdue 17, Indiana 0
The three-game series continues Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Jackson Smeltz dominated to the tune of a career-high 13 strikeouts over eight innings of one-hit ball, carrying Purdue baseball to a 17-0 victory vs. Indiana that matched the largest margin of victory in the storied rivalry series.
Smeltz (5-0) struck out five in a row at one point and 13 of the 27 batters he faced overall, posting his fourth double-figure total of the season. He matched the most strikeouts ever by a Purdue lefthander, tying David Gassner's total in a March 1999 game vs. Wright State that ranks third most overall in team history.
Smeltz registered the most Ks by a Boilermaker since Matt Morgan struck out 14 in 2010, which was also the same season a Purdue pitcher last had four 10-plus strikeout performances. All-time strikeouts king Matt Bischoff did it en route to a single-season record 95 Ks. With 64 punchouts in 44 innings this season, Smeltz is on pace to break Bischoff's record.
Highlighted by a three-run homer from Ryan Howe in his first at-bat since March 2, the Boilermakers (20-6, 2-3 B1G) scored 10 runs in the eighth inning to blow the game open. It was Purdue's first 10-run inning since an April 2013 home win vs. UIC. The Boilermakers have scored seven-plus in an inning five times in 26 games this year.
Purdue improved to 4-1 vs. IU at Alexander Field. Dating back to 2007, the Boilermakers are 16-4 vs. Indiana in games played away from Bloomington.
Purdue posted its first shutout victory since a 1-0 home win vs. Penn State in March 2019. It was the first shutout victory vs. the Hoosiers (11-17, 1-3 B1G) since a 3-0 W in the winner's bracket final of the 2012 Big Ten Tournament in Columbus.
CJ Valdez and Cam Thompson singled and walked with two outs in the first inning to ignite a four-run rally, extending their on-base streaks to 23 and 26 consecutive games. Valdez finished the day 3-for-4 with two RBI and his fourth double in the last seven games.
Third baseman Troy Viola dove into the crowd to catch a foul pop up for the second out of the seventh inning, retiring Big Ten home run leader Matthew Ellis in the process.
The only hit Smeltz allowed was a leadoff single in the fourth inning. He's worked 13 innings of two-hit ball over his last two outings, dropping his batting average against for the season to .184.
With Smeltz over 100 pitches, head coach Greg Goff went to the mound after a one-out walk in the eighth inning. But he left the Lafayette native in the game and Smeltz responded by striking out the next two batters. He threw 121 pitches Saturday and frustrated IU with his quick pace early in the game. Smeltz punched out five his first time through the lineup and went on to strike out 10 of the first 18 batters he faced.
Evan Albrecht and Jake Jarvis delivered consecutive two-out, two-run singles in the first inning. Albrecht scored from second base on Jarvis' infield hit after extending his on-base streak to 18 consecutive games.
The Boilermakers have been victorious in three of the four games in the rivalry series in which the margin of victory was 17 runs.
• 1923: Purdue 22, Indiana 5
• 1961: Indiana 19, Purdue 2
• 2006: Purdue 25, Indiana 8
• Saturday: Purdue 17, Indiana 0
The three-game series continues Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
💣 Howe Sweet it is!! @R_Howe13 goes deep in his 1st AB since March 2. Welcome Back Howie!! #BoilerUp
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) April 9, 2022
10-Run Inning is #Purdue's biggest since 2013 pic.twitter.com/OksKlk5EC7