TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball responded from a six-run inning with tallies in the sixth and eighth innings to pull even, but Indiana State scored the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the eighth and then escaped a bases-load jam in the ninth to take the midweek thriller 8-7 Tuesday.
Luke Gaffney hit a three-run homer in the first inning and reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances. He walked to load the bases in the ninth inning. But ISU closer Simon Gregersen saved the game with a strikeout and game-ending 6-4-3 double play to keep the tying run from scoring.
The Boilermakers (16-10) led 5-1 when the home team awoke with six consecutive productive plate appearances in its six-run fifth inning, sending 10 men to plate with a game-changing rally. Connor Hicks and Grant Magill accounted for five of the runs with homers to right field on a day in which the wind was howling out to right.
Keenan Taylor drove in the game-tying run with a sac fly as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth. Connor Caskenette's leadoff double set the stage.
Indiana State (18=5) loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the frame. Dominic Listi scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, sliding into pitcher Jackson Dannelley on the play at the plate. Dannelley took the worst of the collision but was able to stay in the game and retired the next three batters – two via strikeouts – to keep it a one-run affair.
Mike Bolton Jr. reached on an error to begin the ninth and consecutive walks to Camden Gasser and Gaffney followed to load the bases. But ISU went to the bullpen in time for Gregersen to record three outs on nine pitches. Gasser and Gaffney both walked three times Tuesday.
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Camden Gasser – 24-game on-base streak (every game he's played in 2024)
• Jo Stevens – 12-game on-base streak
Cole Van Assen and Aaron Suval both pitched well for Purdue on a hitter-friendly day. Van Assen stranded six runners on base over 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his third start of the season. Suval worked 2 1/3 innings of no-hit relief, highlighted by the lone 1-2-3 frame for either team in the bottom of the seventh.
Couper Cornblum's full-extension diving catch in center field helped make the 1-2-3 inning possible. He also delivered a two-out RBI single in top of the sixth. Bolton made two diving catches in left field, the most important coming in foul territory to end the third inning with the bases loaded.
Purdue lost for the fifth time in the last six games, with four of those five defeats coming in one-run affairs.
The Boilermakers are back in action Friday when they open a three-game Big Ten series at Ohio State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET live on Big Ten Network.
Luke Gaffney hit a three-run homer in the first inning and reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances. He walked to load the bases in the ninth inning. But ISU closer Simon Gregersen saved the game with a strikeout and game-ending 6-4-3 double play to keep the tying run from scoring.
The Boilermakers (16-10) led 5-1 when the home team awoke with six consecutive productive plate appearances in its six-run fifth inning, sending 10 men to plate with a game-changing rally. Connor Hicks and Grant Magill accounted for five of the runs with homers to right field on a day in which the wind was howling out to right.
Keenan Taylor drove in the game-tying run with a sac fly as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth. Connor Caskenette's leadoff double set the stage.
Indiana State (18=5) loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the frame. Dominic Listi scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, sliding into pitcher Jackson Dannelley on the play at the plate. Dannelley took the worst of the collision but was able to stay in the game and retired the next three batters – two via strikeouts – to keep it a one-run affair.
Mike Bolton Jr. reached on an error to begin the ninth and consecutive walks to Camden Gasser and Gaffney followed to load the bases. But ISU went to the bullpen in time for Gregersen to record three outs on nine pitches. Gasser and Gaffney both walked three times Tuesday.
Keenan Spence connected for a pair of doubles to the wall, both extra-base hits helping Purdue score a run. Logan Sutter's double into the right field corner plated Gaffney from first base in the third inning as Sutter's Big Ten-leading 14th double of the season. Gasser continues to lead the Big Ten in walks (27) and on-base percentage (.557) as well.Here's the first part of my #Favor8s from today's @PurdueBaseball traveling to @IndStBaseball .#BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/rgsAihZ21L
— Top Row Pics (@TopRowPics) March 27, 2024
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Camden Gasser – 24-game on-base streak (every game he's played in 2024)
• Jo Stevens – 12-game on-base streak
Cole Van Assen and Aaron Suval both pitched well for Purdue on a hitter-friendly day. Van Assen stranded six runners on base over 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his third start of the season. Suval worked 2 1/3 innings of no-hit relief, highlighted by the lone 1-2-3 frame for either team in the bottom of the seventh.
Couper Cornblum's full-extension diving catch in center field helped make the 1-2-3 inning possible. He also delivered a two-out RBI single in top of the sixth. Bolton made two diving catches in left field, the most important coming in foul territory to end the third inning with the bases loaded.
Purdue lost for the fifth time in the last six games, with four of those five defeats coming in one-run affairs.
The Boilermakers are back in action Friday when they open a three-game Big Ten series at Ohio State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET live on Big Ten Network.
Here's the second part of my #Favor8s from today's@PurdueBaseball traveling to @IndStBaseball . This was the first game of my sports double header today. Also this is my 6th collegiate stadium for the season, in 5 different states.#BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/OoZ2mIqQXs
— Top Row Pics (@TopRowPics) March 27, 2024