WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Jake Parr powered the offense with a 5-for-6 day as one of three Boilermakers to homer and starting pitchers Jonathan Blackwell and Kyle Iwinski teamed up for 12 scoreless innings as Purdue baseball swept Saturday's doubleheader with Penn State to win its third straight Big Ten series.
The Boilermakers (16-18, 7-5 B1G) hung on for a pair of one-run wins, 9-8 and 5-4. Aaron Suval closed out both victories, accounting for seven outs over the two games. He became the first Boilermaker with two saves in one day since Ross Learnard on the final day of the 2018 regular season. Learnard eclipsed Purdue's single-season saves record that day.
Connor Caskenette and Parr both hit a three-run homer in the game 1 victory. CJ Valdez went deep in his first at-bat of the day and finished the twinbill with four hits and four RBI.
Iwinski conceded just an unearned run over eight innings of six-hit ball. He accounted for the longest outing of the season by a Boilermaker and did not issue a walk for the fourth time in his six starts. In his first two starts at Alexander Field, Iwinski has surrendered just one earned run over 14 2/3 innings.
Blackwell worked at least five innings for the ninth consecutive start to begin his first season at Purdue. He pitched into the seventh for the third time over the last four weekends and departed with the Boilermakers leading 9-3.
Purdue swept a doubleheader for the second time this season and sixth time since the start of the 2022 campaign. However, Saturday marked the program's first-ever doubleheader sweep against a Big Ten rival at Alexander Field (since 2013).
THE LAST TIME PURDUE…
• Swept a Big Ten doubleheader: Defeated Michigan State and Illinois in Champaign (April 2021)
• Swept a traditional Big Ten doubleheader: March 2018 at Penn State
• Swept a Big Ten doubleheader at home: 11 years ago to the day – April 15, 2012 vs. Illinois at Lambert Field
• Rallied to win a three-game Big Ten series after losing the first game: April 2017 at Ohio State
• Rallied to win a Big Ten series at home after losing the first game: April 2009 vs. Iowa (also via a doubleheader sweep)
• Won three straight Big Ten series: April-May 2018 at Maryland, vs. Rutgers, vs. Northwestern
• Won a pair of one-run games on the same day: February 2022 vs. Princeton in Holly Springs, N.C.
• Won consecutive one-run games in Big Ten play: March 2019 vs. Penn State
• Won a pair of one-run Big Ten games on the same day: May 2005 vs. Iowa
MORE SATURDAY NOTABLES
• Jake Parr is now riding a career-best eight-game hit streak, with seven of the games coming in Big Ten play. He has six extra-base hits and seven RBI during the streak. Saturday he hit his first career home run at Alexander Field. The senior is batting a team-best .438 in Big Ten play.
• Connor Caskenette is riding a 13-game on-base streak, 10-game on-base streak in Big Ten play and eight-game hit streak at Alexander Field.
• Caskenette recorded all five of his RBI in the series in the first inning. He plated Mike Bolton Jr. with a two-out RBI single in games 1 and 3. Bolton was also aboard when Caskenette hit his three-run homer in game 2.
• CJ Valdez broke out of an extended slum, recording his first extra-base hit and RBI since going 3-for-5 with a double, home run and two RBI in the March 10 series opener at Ole Miss.
• Bolton stole three bases Saturday and now has 64 for his Purdue career, just six shy of the program record that has stood since 1991.
• Jake Jarvis was hit by a pitch three times in game 1, coming around to score all three times.
GAME 1: PURDUE 9, PENN STATE 8
Seven of the game's 17 runs were scored in the first inning. The Nittany Lions (19-13, 2-7 B1G) scored three times with two outs to open the game. The Boilermakers answered quickly via the home runs from Caskenette and Valdez in the bottom half of the frame.
Blackwell retired 17 of 19 batters from the final out of the first inning through the first out of the seventh inning, rolling through four 1-2-3 frames during that stretch. The lefty struck out six and has fanned at least six in five of his nine starts.
Consecutive one-out singles from the bottom of the lineup ignited a rally for Penn State in the top seventh. After an infield hit loaded the bases, Purdue went to the bullpen. Jay Harry hit the first pitch he saw to the wall in right field for a three-run double.
Suval gave the Boilermakers a four-out save, needing just one pitch to retire a Penn State pinch hitter with the tying run at second base in the eighth inning. He worked around a one-out double from Harry the following frame, striking out the batters before and after Harry while navigating his way through the top of the lineup.
Paul Toetz's double off the wall in center field led to a run in the third inning when Evan Albrecht successfully executed a squeeze bunt for the second weekend in a row.
Parr's three-run homer over the left field bullpen in the fourth inning put Purdue up 8-3.
GAME 2: PURDUE 4, PENN STATE 3
The Boilermakers scored in each of the first three innings and led 4-1 until the ninth.
The Nittany Lions opened the final frame with three consecutive hits, putting the tying run on first base. Suval regrouped with a strikeout and a comebacker. After a walk, Suval struck out PSU leadoff man and Big Ten stolen base leader Kyle Hannon for the second time on the day to close out the series win.
Iwinski did not enjoy a true 1-2-3 inning until the top of the eighth, the same frame he faced the top third of the PSU lineup for the fourth time. But he did not allow more than one base runner in a frame until the Lions' 3-4 hitters singled back-to-back with two outs in the top of the sixth.
Caskenette and Parr were aboard with one out in the third inning when Valdez worked the count full and delivered a two-run single up the middle.
UP NEXT
Purdue continues its six-game homestand this week with $3 midweek matchups vs. Ball State (Tuesday) and Butler (Wednesday). First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET both nights.
The Boilermakers (16-18, 7-5 B1G) hung on for a pair of one-run wins, 9-8 and 5-4. Aaron Suval closed out both victories, accounting for seven outs over the two games. He became the first Boilermaker with two saves in one day since Ross Learnard on the final day of the 2018 regular season. Learnard eclipsed Purdue's single-season saves record that day.
Connor Caskenette and Parr both hit a three-run homer in the game 1 victory. CJ Valdez went deep in his first at-bat of the day and finished the twinbill with four hits and four RBI.
Iwinski conceded just an unearned run over eight innings of six-hit ball. He accounted for the longest outing of the season by a Boilermaker and did not issue a walk for the fourth time in his six starts. In his first two starts at Alexander Field, Iwinski has surrendered just one earned run over 14 2/3 innings.
Blackwell worked at least five innings for the ninth consecutive start to begin his first season at Purdue. He pitched into the seventh for the third time over the last four weekends and departed with the Boilermakers leading 9-3.
Purdue swept a doubleheader for the second time this season and sixth time since the start of the 2022 campaign. However, Saturday marked the program's first-ever doubleheader sweep against a Big Ten rival at Alexander Field (since 2013).
THE LAST TIME PURDUE…
• Swept a Big Ten doubleheader: Defeated Michigan State and Illinois in Champaign (April 2021)
• Swept a traditional Big Ten doubleheader: March 2018 at Penn State
• Swept a Big Ten doubleheader at home: 11 years ago to the day – April 15, 2012 vs. Illinois at Lambert Field
• Rallied to win a three-game Big Ten series after losing the first game: April 2017 at Ohio State
• Rallied to win a Big Ten series at home after losing the first game: April 2009 vs. Iowa (also via a doubleheader sweep)
• Won three straight Big Ten series: April-May 2018 at Maryland, vs. Rutgers, vs. Northwestern
• Won a pair of one-run games on the same day: February 2022 vs. Princeton in Holly Springs, N.C.
• Won consecutive one-run games in Big Ten play: March 2019 vs. Penn State
• Won a pair of one-run Big Ten games on the same day: May 2005 vs. Iowa
MORE SATURDAY NOTABLES
• Jake Parr is now riding a career-best eight-game hit streak, with seven of the games coming in Big Ten play. He has six extra-base hits and seven RBI during the streak. Saturday he hit his first career home run at Alexander Field. The senior is batting a team-best .438 in Big Ten play.
• Connor Caskenette is riding a 13-game on-base streak, 10-game on-base streak in Big Ten play and eight-game hit streak at Alexander Field.
• Caskenette recorded all five of his RBI in the series in the first inning. He plated Mike Bolton Jr. with a two-out RBI single in games 1 and 3. Bolton was also aboard when Caskenette hit his three-run homer in game 2.
• CJ Valdez broke out of an extended slum, recording his first extra-base hit and RBI since going 3-for-5 with a double, home run and two RBI in the March 10 series opener at Ole Miss.
• Bolton stole three bases Saturday and now has 64 for his Purdue career, just six shy of the program record that has stood since 1991.
• Jake Jarvis was hit by a pitch three times in game 1, coming around to score all three times.
GAME 1: PURDUE 9, PENN STATE 8
Seven of the game's 17 runs were scored in the first inning. The Nittany Lions (19-13, 2-7 B1G) scored three times with two outs to open the game. The Boilermakers answered quickly via the home runs from Caskenette and Valdez in the bottom half of the frame.
Blackwell retired 17 of 19 batters from the final out of the first inning through the first out of the seventh inning, rolling through four 1-2-3 frames during that stretch. The lefty struck out six and has fanned at least six in five of his nine starts.
Consecutive one-out singles from the bottom of the lineup ignited a rally for Penn State in the top seventh. After an infield hit loaded the bases, Purdue went to the bullpen. Jay Harry hit the first pitch he saw to the wall in right field for a three-run double.
Suval gave the Boilermakers a four-out save, needing just one pitch to retire a Penn State pinch hitter with the tying run at second base in the eighth inning. He worked around a one-out double from Harry the following frame, striking out the batters before and after Harry while navigating his way through the top of the lineup.
Paul Toetz's double off the wall in center field led to a run in the third inning when Evan Albrecht successfully executed a squeeze bunt for the second weekend in a row.
Parr's three-run homer over the left field bullpen in the fourth inning put Purdue up 8-3.
GAME 2: PURDUE 4, PENN STATE 3
The Boilermakers scored in each of the first three innings and led 4-1 until the ninth.
The Nittany Lions opened the final frame with three consecutive hits, putting the tying run on first base. Suval regrouped with a strikeout and a comebacker. After a walk, Suval struck out PSU leadoff man and Big Ten stolen base leader Kyle Hannon for the second time on the day to close out the series win.
Iwinski did not enjoy a true 1-2-3 inning until the top of the eighth, the same frame he faced the top third of the PSU lineup for the fourth time. But he did not allow more than one base runner in a frame until the Lions' 3-4 hitters singled back-to-back with two outs in the top of the sixth.
Caskenette and Parr were aboard with one out in the third inning when Valdez worked the count full and delivered a two-run single up the middle.
UP NEXT
Purdue continues its six-game homestand this week with $3 midweek matchups vs. Ball State (Tuesday) and Butler (Wednesday). First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET both nights.