WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Sergio DeCello homered, Brandon Rogers saved a run with another great catch in center field and three pitchers teamed up for a dozen strikeouts as Purdue Baseball won a 2-1 nailbiter vs. Rutgers on Friday at Alexander Field.
The Boilermakers (21-12, 4-9 Big Ten) snapped their eight-game losing streak and improved to 6-1 vs. RU dating back to 2023.
The Scarlet Knights (16-18, 5-8 Big Ten) out hit Purdue 10-4 but left 15 runners on base. They were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-5 with the bases loaded. The visitors left the bases loaded twice, including the bottom of the ninth, and stranded multiple runners in five different frames.
Avery Cook struck out RU's 6- and 7-hole hitters with the bases loaded to end the game, punctuating a six-out save.
Rogers robbed cleanup hitter Brennan Hyde of a two-out RBI double with a diving catch in the left-center gap in the seventh inning.
The Boilermakers' four hits were their fewest in a victory since recording three in a 3-0 shutout in a April 2023 series opener at Minnesota.
Carter Doorn (6), Michael Vallone (3) and Cook (3) teamed up for 12 strikeouts and made the big pitches when necessary to get Purdue out of numerous jams. The Boilermakers also turned a pair of double plays, including one with the bases loaded to end the third inning.
Five of the 12 strikeouts came with a runner on third base with less than two outs as Rutgers was 0-for-6 overall in getting that runner home in those scenarios. Doorn worked around a game-opening triple with a pair of strikeouts. The Knights had runners on second and third with no outs in the fourth inning and Doorn again kept the visitors off the scoreboard with strikeouts vs. the 7- and 9-hole hitters.
With Purdue leading 1-0 after an unearned run in the second inning, DeCello tomahawked a pitch up in the zone over the bullpen past the right field wall for his first home run at Alexander Field. Logan Sutter and DeCello both had a pair of hits and each scored a run to account for all the Boilers' offense.
Purdue found a way to win on a night when the opposition's Friday starter was dealing. Freshman Landon Mack struck out seven and did not issue a walk over seven innings of four-hit ball. He induced 11 ground ball outs. Mack worked a trio of 1-2-3 innings, retiring the 1-2-3 portion of the lineup in order in both the first and third innings. That trio in Boilers' lineup was a combined 0-for-11 with a walk. Conversely, Rutgers' 1-2-3 combination was 5-for-11 with three walks and a hit by pitch.
Vallone retired eight of the 12 batters he faced and induced a key double play ball, erasing an inning-opening error in the top of the seventh. It proved even more significant when a hit by pitch and Rogers' diving catch followed.
Vallone was the only Boilermaker to retire Rutgers' top hitter, Trevor Cohen. Vallone struck him out as the first batter he faced after taking over for Doorn following a leadoff single in the fifth inning. Cohen entered the weekend as the most difficult batter to strike out in the Big Ten, fanning for just the seventh time in 159 plate appearances.
Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. The probable starting pitchers are Cole Van Assen for Purdue and Quinn Berglin for Rutgers.
The Boilermakers (21-12, 4-9 Big Ten) snapped their eight-game losing streak and improved to 6-1 vs. RU dating back to 2023.
The Scarlet Knights (16-18, 5-8 Big Ten) out hit Purdue 10-4 but left 15 runners on base. They were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-5 with the bases loaded. The visitors left the bases loaded twice, including the bottom of the ninth, and stranded multiple runners in five different frames.
Avery Cook struck out RU's 6- and 7-hole hitters with the bases loaded to end the game, punctuating a six-out save.
Rogers robbed cleanup hitter Brennan Hyde of a two-out RBI double with a diving catch in the left-center gap in the seventh inning.
The Boilermakers' four hits were their fewest in a victory since recording three in a 3-0 shutout in a April 2023 series opener at Minnesota.
Carter Doorn (6), Michael Vallone (3) and Cook (3) teamed up for 12 strikeouts and made the big pitches when necessary to get Purdue out of numerous jams. The Boilermakers also turned a pair of double plays, including one with the bases loaded to end the third inning.
Five of the 12 strikeouts came with a runner on third base with less than two outs as Rutgers was 0-for-6 overall in getting that runner home in those scenarios. Doorn worked around a game-opening triple with a pair of strikeouts. The Knights had runners on second and third with no outs in the fourth inning and Doorn again kept the visitors off the scoreboard with strikeouts vs. the 7- and 9-hole hitters.
With Purdue leading 1-0 after an unearned run in the second inning, DeCello tomahawked a pitch up in the zone over the bullpen past the right field wall for his first home run at Alexander Field. Logan Sutter and DeCello both had a pair of hits and each scored a run to account for all the Boilers' offense.
Purdue found a way to win on a night when the opposition's Friday starter was dealing. Freshman Landon Mack struck out seven and did not issue a walk over seven innings of four-hit ball. He induced 11 ground ball outs. Mack worked a trio of 1-2-3 innings, retiring the 1-2-3 portion of the lineup in order in both the first and third innings. That trio in Boilers' lineup was a combined 0-for-11 with a walk. Conversely, Rutgers' 1-2-3 combination was 5-for-11 with three walks and a hit by pitch.
Vallone retired eight of the 12 batters he faced and induced a key double play ball, erasing an inning-opening error in the top of the seventh. It proved even more significant when a hit by pitch and Rogers' diving catch followed.
Vallone was the only Boilermaker to retire Rutgers' top hitter, Trevor Cohen. Vallone struck him out as the first batter he faced after taking over for Doorn following a leadoff single in the fifth inning. Cohen entered the weekend as the most difficult batter to strike out in the Big Ten, fanning for just the seventh time in 159 plate appearances.
Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. The probable starting pitchers are Cole Van Assen for Purdue and Quinn Berglin for Rutgers.