UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Purdue Baseball scored first for the third day in a row but otherwise flipped the script on Penn State by reeling off eight unanswered runs after facing a five-run deficit, rallying to take the series finale 11-8 Sunday.
The Boilermakers (25-14, 6-12 Big Ten) avoided a series sweep, winning the finale of a Big Ten series for the first time this season.
The Nittany Lions (24-14, 12-9 Big Ten) won the first two games of the series by scoring 10 unanswered in both contests. Penn State scored eight unanswered runs Sunday. But relief pitchers Michael Vallone and Avery Cook teamed up for five consecutive zeros to finish the game for the visitors.
Purdue scored three times in the top of the eighth to break an 8-8 tie. Brandon Anderson drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. As the leadoff man in the lineup, Anderson doubled twice and scored three times. Camden Gasser also scored three times from the 9-hole in the lineup. Gasser, Anderson and Logan Sutter teamed up for three consecutive doubles in the third inning as the Boilers took an early 3-0 lead.
CJ Richmond beat the shift with a pair of two-out RBI singles, helping to power the Purdue comeback with a two-run single in the fifth inning and punctuating the three-run top of the eight with another timely hit.
SUNDAY NOTABLES
• Purdue ended a six-game losing streak in road games and won its first series finale in Big Ten play since April 28, 2024 (at Northwestern) – ending an eight-game skid.
• The Boilermakers overcame a deficit of at least four runs for the second time this week. They rallied back from a five-run hole to win for the first time since game No. 4 of the 2024 campaign, a Sunday in they came back to beat Stony Brook after trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the second.
• Logan Sutter connected for a double for the fourth consecutive game and continues to lead the Big Ten with 19 doubles, good for a tie for eighth place on Purdue's single-season list. The team record is 21 doubles and the last 20-double season was posted by Kevin Plawecki as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2012.
• Camden Gasser reached base safely seven times for the series, posting a .700 on-base percentage in 11 plate appearances from the 9-hole in the lineup. He also led the team with five runs scored. Gasser joined Lukas Cook as Boilermakers to post a .700 OBP in a weekend series this season, achieving the feat for the third time at Purdue. He's the only Boilermaker to do it three times in a career since at least the beginning of the 2012 campaign.
• Avery Cook earned his second victory of the week by working three innings of hitless relief. The fifth-year Boilermaker matched the longest outing of his career and worked three innings without allowing a hit for the first time.
Anderson had the best at-bat of the game to open the seventh inning, winning a 12-pitch battle with a gapper to right-center for his second double of the day. Purdue went on to record three consecutive hits against PSU reliever Harrison Lollin. Sutter plated Anderson with an RBI single and later scored the game-tying run when new reliever Diamond Loosli threw the ball away on a failed pickoff.
Albert Choi and Gasser reached base safely to begin the top of the eighth, setting the stage for the game-winning rally. Anderson connected for the sac fly to left field, Avery Moore executed a successful squeeze bunt after PSU intentionally walked Sutter and Richmond plated Sutter to cap the comeback.
Cook struck out PSU's 3- and 5-hole hitters in the ninth inning to prevent the tying run from coming to the plate.
The Lions' five-run third inning was powered by a throwing error on a swinging bunt with the bases loaded. All three runners scored on the play. Two batters later, Jesse Jaconski homered to left field for the second day in a row. Penn State enjoyed a number of long at-bats in the frame, taking the count full with four different batters in the final inning for starter Austin Klug.
Vallone regrouped after giving up consecutive two-out, run-scoring hits to PSU's 2- and 3-hole hitters in the fourth inning. The lefty went on to retire the final seven batters he faced across his three innings before handing off to Cook after Purdue had tied it in the seventh.
The Boilermakers are back in action Tuesday when they host a 30-win Austin Peay team at 6 p.m. ET.
PURDUE'S SERIES LEADERS
• Camden Gasser: 3-for-6, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, HBP, 5 R, Sac Bunt
• Brandon Anderson: 5-for-12, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB, HBP, 4 R, Sac Fly
• Logan Sutter: 5-for-13, 3 2B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 4 R
• Avery Cook: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K
The Boilermakers (25-14, 6-12 Big Ten) avoided a series sweep, winning the finale of a Big Ten series for the first time this season.
The Nittany Lions (24-14, 12-9 Big Ten) won the first two games of the series by scoring 10 unanswered in both contests. Penn State scored eight unanswered runs Sunday. But relief pitchers Michael Vallone and Avery Cook teamed up for five consecutive zeros to finish the game for the visitors.
Purdue scored three times in the top of the eighth to break an 8-8 tie. Brandon Anderson drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. As the leadoff man in the lineup, Anderson doubled twice and scored three times. Camden Gasser also scored three times from the 9-hole in the lineup. Gasser, Anderson and Logan Sutter teamed up for three consecutive doubles in the third inning as the Boilers took an early 3-0 lead.
CJ Richmond beat the shift with a pair of two-out RBI singles, helping to power the Purdue comeback with a two-run single in the fifth inning and punctuating the three-run top of the eight with another timely hit.
SUNDAY NOTABLES
• Purdue ended a six-game losing streak in road games and won its first series finale in Big Ten play since April 28, 2024 (at Northwestern) – ending an eight-game skid.
• The Boilermakers overcame a deficit of at least four runs for the second time this week. They rallied back from a five-run hole to win for the first time since game No. 4 of the 2024 campaign, a Sunday in they came back to beat Stony Brook after trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the second.
• Logan Sutter connected for a double for the fourth consecutive game and continues to lead the Big Ten with 19 doubles, good for a tie for eighth place on Purdue's single-season list. The team record is 21 doubles and the last 20-double season was posted by Kevin Plawecki as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2012.
• Camden Gasser reached base safely seven times for the series, posting a .700 on-base percentage in 11 plate appearances from the 9-hole in the lineup. He also led the team with five runs scored. Gasser joined Lukas Cook as Boilermakers to post a .700 OBP in a weekend series this season, achieving the feat for the third time at Purdue. He's the only Boilermaker to do it three times in a career since at least the beginning of the 2012 campaign.
• Avery Cook earned his second victory of the week by working three innings of hitless relief. The fifth-year Boilermaker matched the longest outing of his career and worked three innings without allowing a hit for the first time.
Anderson had the best at-bat of the game to open the seventh inning, winning a 12-pitch battle with a gapper to right-center for his second double of the day. Purdue went on to record three consecutive hits against PSU reliever Harrison Lollin. Sutter plated Anderson with an RBI single and later scored the game-tying run when new reliever Diamond Loosli threw the ball away on a failed pickoff.
Albert Choi and Gasser reached base safely to begin the top of the eighth, setting the stage for the game-winning rally. Anderson connected for the sac fly to left field, Avery Moore executed a successful squeeze bunt after PSU intentionally walked Sutter and Richmond plated Sutter to cap the comeback.
Cook struck out PSU's 3- and 5-hole hitters in the ninth inning to prevent the tying run from coming to the plate.
The Lions' five-run third inning was powered by a throwing error on a swinging bunt with the bases loaded. All three runners scored on the play. Two batters later, Jesse Jaconski homered to left field for the second day in a row. Penn State enjoyed a number of long at-bats in the frame, taking the count full with four different batters in the final inning for starter Austin Klug.
Vallone regrouped after giving up consecutive two-out, run-scoring hits to PSU's 2- and 3-hole hitters in the fourth inning. The lefty went on to retire the final seven batters he faced across his three innings before handing off to Cook after Purdue had tied it in the seventh.
The Boilermakers are back in action Tuesday when they host a 30-win Austin Peay team at 6 p.m. ET.
PURDUE'S SERIES LEADERS
• Camden Gasser: 3-for-6, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, HBP, 5 R, Sac Bunt
• Brandon Anderson: 5-for-12, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB, HBP, 4 R, Sac Fly
• Logan Sutter: 5-for-13, 3 2B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 4 R
• Avery Cook: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K