WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Khal Stephen struck out seven over seven innings of two-run ball in his best outing as a Boilermaker and Purdue baseball scored seven times over its final three innings at the plate to defeat Northwestern 8-4 in Friday's series opener at Alexander Field.
Mike Bolton Jr., Paul Toetz and Connor Caskenette all had an extra-base hit as part of two-hit days. Toetz and Caskenette both drove in a pair of runs in the late innings. Bolton scored twice while extending his on-base streak to 15 consecutive games.
The Boilermakers (11-13, 2-2 B1G) improved to 8-2 vs. Northwestern dating back to 2018.
Stephen (3-1) matched Kyle Iwinski for the longest outing of the season by a Purdue pitcher, needing only 100 pitches to get through seven. Stephen retired 13 of the final 15 batters he faced after giving up an RBI double in the third inning. The other run he surrendered came on a leadoff homer by Griffin Arnone in the top of the fifth. With Stephen at 97 pitches and Arnone up again with two outs in the seventh, head coach Greg Goff went to the mound to discuss the sophomore facing NU's leadoff man for the fourth time. Goff left Stephen in the game and he responded with a three-pitch strikeout of Arnone.
Northwestern starter Matt McClure also pitched well, working into the sixth inning while not issuing a walk. Three of the six hits he surrendered came in the bottom of the sixth. Toetz and Caskenette both barreled up for a big hit off the wall in their third looks at McClure (1-4).
Couper Cornblum's leadoff single ignited the rally and extended the outfielder's on-base streak to 11 consecutive games. Toetz delivered a game-tying triple, launching the ball into left center for his team-leading 15th extra-base hit. After Jake Jarvis was hit by a pitch, Caskenette connected for an opposite-field gapper to plate a pair and chase McClure.
Caskenette hit another ball off the wall, this time in left field, for his second double of the day in the bottom of the eighth. Consecutive two-out RBI hits from Jo Stevens and Evan Albrecht gave reliever Aaron Suval more margin for error in the final frame.
It was a moot point though after Suval went 1-2-3 through NU's 9-1-2 hitters, enjoying a much more efficient frame after the Wildcats (2-18, 0-1 B1G) scored a pair of unearned runs against him in the top of the eighth. Stephen and Suval teamed up to make Purdue a winner on Friday for the second weekend in a row.
Stephen has 15 strikeouts in 13 innings over his last two starts. With his two RBI on Friday, Toetz has 35 for the season as March comes to a close.
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Mike Bolton Jr., Paul Toetz and Connor Caskenette all had an extra-base hit as part of two-hit days. Toetz and Caskenette both drove in a pair of runs in the late innings. Bolton scored twice while extending his on-base streak to 15 consecutive games.
The Boilermakers (11-13, 2-2 B1G) improved to 8-2 vs. Northwestern dating back to 2018.
Stephen (3-1) matched Kyle Iwinski for the longest outing of the season by a Purdue pitcher, needing only 100 pitches to get through seven. Stephen retired 13 of the final 15 batters he faced after giving up an RBI double in the third inning. The other run he surrendered came on a leadoff homer by Griffin Arnone in the top of the fifth. With Stephen at 97 pitches and Arnone up again with two outs in the seventh, head coach Greg Goff went to the mound to discuss the sophomore facing NU's leadoff man for the fourth time. Goff left Stephen in the game and he responded with a three-pitch strikeout of Arnone.
Northwestern starter Matt McClure also pitched well, working into the sixth inning while not issuing a walk. Three of the six hits he surrendered came in the bottom of the sixth. Toetz and Caskenette both barreled up for a big hit off the wall in their third looks at McClure (1-4).
Couper Cornblum's leadoff single ignited the rally and extended the outfielder's on-base streak to 11 consecutive games. Toetz delivered a game-tying triple, launching the ball into left center for his team-leading 15th extra-base hit. After Jake Jarvis was hit by a pitch, Caskenette connected for an opposite-field gapper to plate a pair and chase McClure.
Bolton's leadoff double and an RBI single from Jarvis gave Purdue an early in the first inning.#4faves from the @PurdueBaseball win this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/tu0LRpnzMM
— Dave Wegiel Photo (@pinolaphoto) March 31, 2023
Caskenette hit another ball off the wall, this time in left field, for his second double of the day in the bottom of the eighth. Consecutive two-out RBI hits from Jo Stevens and Evan Albrecht gave reliever Aaron Suval more margin for error in the final frame.
It was a moot point though after Suval went 1-2-3 through NU's 9-1-2 hitters, enjoying a much more efficient frame after the Wildcats (2-18, 0-1 B1G) scored a pair of unearned runs against him in the top of the eighth. Stephen and Suval teamed up to make Purdue a winner on Friday for the second weekend in a row.
Stephen has 15 strikeouts in 13 innings over his last two starts. With his two RBI on Friday, Toetz has 35 for the season as March comes to a close.
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Another #4faves from the @PurdueBaseball win this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/gDdHobx8am
— Dave Wegiel Photo (@pinolaphoto) March 31, 2023