EVANSTON, Ill. – Mike Bolton Jr. set the tone by hitting the first pitch of the game for a home run for the second Saturday in a row, leading to a team record-tying six-homer day for Purdue Baseball in a 10-7 victory at Northwestern on Saturday.
The Boilermakers (28-15, 10-4 Big Ten) won their ninth consecutive game in Big Ten play and moved within a game of first place after Illinois (11-3) lost at Maryland. Purdue is riding its second nine-game conference win with coach Greg Goff in the dugout after also achieving the feat in 2018. The 2001 team's 10-game Big Ten win streak remains the program's single-season record.
Luke Gaffney (120) eclipsed the Purdue freshman record for total bases (119) when he connected for a home run off the batter's eye on a 3-0 pitch in the third inning. It was the third freshman benchmark he has eclipsed in a week's time after also breaking the RBI record last Saturday and the runs scored mark Wednesday. It was Gaffney's team-leading 11th homer and 60th RBI. He's just the sixth Boilermaker to post 60-RBI season and the first since Cameron Perkins (61) in 2012. Perkins was the co-owner (with Brett Roach) of the freshman total bases record.
Jo Stevens went deep twice, posting the first multi-homer game of the season by a Boilermaker. Connor Caskenette's leadoff home run in the fifth inning gave the catcher 50 RBI this season, making him the second fastest Boilermaker since 2001 to reach the benchmark. Keenan Spence's two-run blast in the seventh inning was the final long ball of the day and gave Purdue a 10-3 lead.
The Boilermakers have not trailed in 54 consecutive innings in Big Ten play dating back to the start of the Sunday, April 7 victory at Rutgers. A combined 9-0 scoring edge over the first three innings this weekend has helped Purdue secure its fifth straight series victory vs. Northwestern (13-25, 2-12 Big Ten) dating back to 2018. But this year the Boilers won't need to win a rubber game like they did in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
After winning Friday's game at Wrigley Field with all 10 hits being singles, the six home runs plated nine of Purdue's 10 runs Saturday on a day in which the wind was blowing out on a warm spring day in Chicagoland. The Boilermakers also hit six homers in an April 2006 win at Indiana.
Luke Wagner began his outing on the mound with three consecutive zeros as Purdue built an early 6-0 lead. He worked five-plus innings of three-run ball to improve to 7-0 on the season, becoming the first Boilermaker with seven victories since Tanner Andrews in 2018. Purdue has never had a pitcher finish a season with seven or more victories without taking a loss.
Out of the bullpen, Davis Pratt induced a quick 5-4-3 double play against the first batter he faced, marking the only time the Boilermakers retired 8-hole hitter Griffin Mills (3-for-4) on the day. Highlighted by a 1-2-3 ninth inning vs. NU's 3-4-5 hitters, Aaron Suval retired seven of the final nine batters he faced to close out the victory.
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 22-game on-base streak; 20-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 4/29/23); 8-game hit streak in Big Ten play
• Luke Gaffney – 14-game on-base streak in Big Ten play; 7-game hit streak in Big Ten play
• Jo Stevens – 11-game hit streak in Big Ten play; 17-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 5/18/23)
• Camden Gasser – Reached base safely multiple times in 9 consecutive games
• Connor Caskenette – 12-game on-base streak in Big Ten play; 7-game hit streak in Big Ten play
• Couper Cornblum – 96 consecutive games started (since start of 2023)
Purdue's 54 home runs this season rank fourth in program history as the most of the BBCOR bat era (2011-present). The team record Is 73 from 1987.
Prior to last weekend, the Boilermakers had gone without a game-opening home run since May 2017. Bolton has now done it twice in a week
Gaffney was ejected after touching the plate on his home run, with the third base umpire ruling the slugger was jawing with some combination of the Northwestern third baseman and pitcher as he rounded the bag. No one from the Wildcats were ejected simultaneously. He'll have to sit out Sunday's series finale, which is slated for a 2 p.m. ET first pitch.
The Boilermakers (28-15, 10-4 Big Ten) won their ninth consecutive game in Big Ten play and moved within a game of first place after Illinois (11-3) lost at Maryland. Purdue is riding its second nine-game conference win with coach Greg Goff in the dugout after also achieving the feat in 2018. The 2001 team's 10-game Big Ten win streak remains the program's single-season record.
Luke Gaffney (120) eclipsed the Purdue freshman record for total bases (119) when he connected for a home run off the batter's eye on a 3-0 pitch in the third inning. It was the third freshman benchmark he has eclipsed in a week's time after also breaking the RBI record last Saturday and the runs scored mark Wednesday. It was Gaffney's team-leading 11th homer and 60th RBI. He's just the sixth Boilermaker to post 60-RBI season and the first since Cameron Perkins (61) in 2012. Perkins was the co-owner (with Brett Roach) of the freshman total bases record.
Jo Stevens went deep twice, posting the first multi-homer game of the season by a Boilermaker. Connor Caskenette's leadoff home run in the fifth inning gave the catcher 50 RBI this season, making him the second fastest Boilermaker since 2001 to reach the benchmark. Keenan Spence's two-run blast in the seventh inning was the final long ball of the day and gave Purdue a 10-3 lead.
The Boilermakers have not trailed in 54 consecutive innings in Big Ten play dating back to the start of the Sunday, April 7 victory at Rutgers. A combined 9-0 scoring edge over the first three innings this weekend has helped Purdue secure its fifth straight series victory vs. Northwestern (13-25, 2-12 Big Ten) dating back to 2018. But this year the Boilers won't need to win a rubber game like they did in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
After winning Friday's game at Wrigley Field with all 10 hits being singles, the six home runs plated nine of Purdue's 10 runs Saturday on a day in which the wind was blowing out on a warm spring day in Chicagoland. The Boilermakers also hit six homers in an April 2006 win at Indiana.
Luke Wagner began his outing on the mound with three consecutive zeros as Purdue built an early 6-0 lead. He worked five-plus innings of three-run ball to improve to 7-0 on the season, becoming the first Boilermaker with seven victories since Tanner Andrews in 2018. Purdue has never had a pitcher finish a season with seven or more victories without taking a loss.
Out of the bullpen, Davis Pratt induced a quick 5-4-3 double play against the first batter he faced, marking the only time the Boilermakers retired 8-hole hitter Griffin Mills (3-for-4) on the day. Highlighted by a 1-2-3 ninth inning vs. NU's 3-4-5 hitters, Aaron Suval retired seven of the final nine batters he faced to close out the victory.
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 22-game on-base streak; 20-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 4/29/23); 8-game hit streak in Big Ten play
• Luke Gaffney – 14-game on-base streak in Big Ten play; 7-game hit streak in Big Ten play
• Jo Stevens – 11-game hit streak in Big Ten play; 17-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 5/18/23)
• Camden Gasser – Reached base safely multiple times in 9 consecutive games
• Connor Caskenette – 12-game on-base streak in Big Ten play; 7-game hit streak in Big Ten play
• Couper Cornblum – 96 consecutive games started (since start of 2023)
Purdue's 54 home runs this season rank fourth in program history as the most of the BBCOR bat era (2011-present). The team record Is 73 from 1987.
Prior to last weekend, the Boilermakers had gone without a game-opening home run since May 2017. Bolton has now done it twice in a week
Gaffney was ejected after touching the plate on his home run, with the third base umpire ruling the slugger was jawing with some combination of the Northwestern third baseman and pitcher as he rounded the bag. No one from the Wildcats were ejected simultaneously. He'll have to sit out Sunday's series finale, which is slated for a 2 p.m. ET first pitch.