WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The finale of Purdue Baseball's season-long 12-game homestand at Alexander Field – won by Northern Illinois 2-1 Tuesday – featured the lowest-scoring contest at the ballpark since the final day of the 2021 campaign.
The Boilermakers (20-8) went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while stranding 10 runners on base. They were held to fewer than three runs for the first time this season and limited to a single tally for the first time since a home loss on March 15 of last season.
The last game at Alexander to feature a combined three runs or fewer was Minnesota's 2-1 win in game 1 of a doubleheader on May 30, 2021.
All three runs Tuesday were scored on extra-base hits – a pair of solo home runs and NIU's RBI double in the seventh inning that plated a runner from first base. JP Gauthier delivered both big hits for the Huskies (10-19), homering to lead off the second inning and driving in both runs that allowed the visitors to hold the lead for the final eight innings.
Logan Sutter connected for his team-leading ninth home run for Purdue, a towering two-out blast in the bottom of the seventh that carried into the bullpen beyond the left field wall.
Carter Cox and Danny Cihocki teamed up to strike out the next five Purdue batters, including Cihocki fanning the Boilers' 6-7-8 hitters in order in the eighth inning as part of a six-out save.
Avery Moore's pinch-hit single put the tying run on base with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but the game ended moments later on a 4-6-3 double play.
Maclane Finley retired the final 12 batters he faced and 15 of 18 overall, throwing only 49 pitches over five innings of one-run ball. He struck out four while putting together one of Purdue's finest outings on the mound during the 12-game homestand. It was his first start as a Boilermaker.
Lukas Cook singled and doubled in his first two at-bats, giving him hits in six consecutive at-bats and extending a 12-for-16 hot streak that started Friday vs. UCLA. He raised his Big Ten-leading batting average to .465 and extended his on-base streak to seven consecutive games.
Purdue left the bases loaded in the fifth inning and two runners on base in the second, third and sixth innings. The Boilermakers also hit into multiple ground ball double plays for the third straight game (nine total during that stretch). For the season, Purdue has grounded into 21 double plays, 15 coming in the last nine games.
Purdue lost in 2-1 fashion for the first time since a March 2023 series-opening loss to Akron in Holly Springs, N.C. The Boilermakers finished their homestand with a 6-6 record and the scoring margin was even at 86 runs apiece. Their eight-game win streak in midweek play also came to an end Tuesday.
Purdue returns to action Friday when it opens a three-game series at Washington in the program's first-ever trip to Seattle. First pitch is slated for 10 p.m. ET.
The Boilermakers (20-8) went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while stranding 10 runners on base. They were held to fewer than three runs for the first time this season and limited to a single tally for the first time since a home loss on March 15 of last season.
The last game at Alexander to feature a combined three runs or fewer was Minnesota's 2-1 win in game 1 of a doubleheader on May 30, 2021.
All three runs Tuesday were scored on extra-base hits – a pair of solo home runs and NIU's RBI double in the seventh inning that plated a runner from first base. JP Gauthier delivered both big hits for the Huskies (10-19), homering to lead off the second inning and driving in both runs that allowed the visitors to hold the lead for the final eight innings.
Logan Sutter connected for his team-leading ninth home run for Purdue, a towering two-out blast in the bottom of the seventh that carried into the bullpen beyond the left field wall.
Carter Cox and Danny Cihocki teamed up to strike out the next five Purdue batters, including Cihocki fanning the Boilers' 6-7-8 hitters in order in the eighth inning as part of a six-out save.
Avery Moore's pinch-hit single put the tying run on base with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but the game ended moments later on a 4-6-3 double play.
Maclane Finley retired the final 12 batters he faced and 15 of 18 overall, throwing only 49 pitches over five innings of one-run ball. He struck out four while putting together one of Purdue's finest outings on the mound during the 12-game homestand. It was his first start as a Boilermaker.
Lukas Cook singled and doubled in his first two at-bats, giving him hits in six consecutive at-bats and extending a 12-for-16 hot streak that started Friday vs. UCLA. He raised his Big Ten-leading batting average to .465 and extended his on-base streak to seven consecutive games.
Purdue left the bases loaded in the fifth inning and two runners on base in the second, third and sixth innings. The Boilermakers also hit into multiple ground ball double plays for the third straight game (nine total during that stretch). For the season, Purdue has grounded into 21 double plays, 15 coming in the last nine games.
Purdue lost in 2-1 fashion for the first time since a March 2023 series-opening loss to Akron in Holly Springs, N.C. The Boilermakers finished their homestand with a 6-6 record and the scoring margin was even at 86 runs apiece. Their eight-game win streak in midweek play also came to an end Tuesday.
Purdue returns to action Friday when it opens a three-game series at Washington in the program's first-ever trip to Seattle. First pitch is slated for 10 p.m. ET.