For the first time in 39 years Purdue has swept Ohio State in a baseball series. It was a virtually perfect weekend at Alexander Field, and the Purdue baseball team stayed red hot in conference play with its second straight sweep and seventh consecutive win against Big Ten opponents. The only team that is hotter right now in the Big Ten is first place UCLA, who is running away with the league at 21-0. Purdue currently sits third at 15-6 (28-11 overall) behind 15-3 Nebraska, who has played one less
conference series than the Boilers.
Let’s take a look at how the weekend went.
Friday
Purdue 10, Ohio State 9
This one was a lot closr than it should have been as the Boilers exploded for nine runs in the first four innings to take a 9-1 lead. Six were scored in the second, all with two outs. Eli Anderson hit a bases clearing double to drive in three runs and Sam Flores added a two-run home run to cap the inning.
Things were under control until Purdue gave up four runs in the fifth, then four more in the seventh as the Buckeys came roaring back. Avery Moore’s RBI single in the sixth ended up being the difference, but Ohio State had the tying run on third in both the seventh and ninth inning. Cole Van Assen moved to 5-2 with the win, while Jake Kramer nailed down another save.
Saturday
Purdue 12, Ohio State 7
Once again, Purdue got ahead early with six runs in the bottom of the first to get off to a tremendous start. The Boilers got four hits, all singles, but Quincy Marlbrough’s two-run single was the biggest hit in the inning. The Buckeyes got two back in the top of the second, but CJ Richmond and Marlbrough both drove in runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-2.
In the later innings Aaron Manias and Jackson Bissette would each add home runs. Bissette and Marlbrough each finished the game with three EBI. Gavin Beuter was officially the winning pitcher with four scoreless innings of relief, as he entered in the third when Zach Erdman ran into trouble.
Sunday
Purdue 6, Ohio State 2
Austin Klug moved to 6-1 on the year and made sure Purdue never trailed all weekend with six scoreless innings and Purdue won more of a pitcher’s duel on Sunday. Purdue got a run in each of the first two innings, but it was Marlbrough’s three-run double in the eighth that broke the game wide open. Marlbrough batted .417 for the weekend with a team high 6 RBI. Flores ended up having the best weekend at the plate and is in line for Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He went 5 of 9 at the plate with a home run, 4 RBI, and three walks. Zach Zychowski was also 5 of 11.
This series did wonders for Purdue’s NCAA Tournament chances. The RPI is still a tad low at 55, but Purdue has now won six consecutive conference series and the last two via sweep. Last week the Boilermakers were a bubble team by most projections, as two of the main three had Purdue as one of the last teams in while the third had them as a “Last Four Out” team. The midweek extra inning loss to a decent Miami (OH) team was not damaging, but a conference sweep will probably have Purdue safely in the field for now.
This week is a very big one for those NCAA chances. After a midweek home game against Indiana State on Tuesday (The Trees already beat Purdue 12-4 in Terre Haute) Purdue must face #23 USC in Los Angeles. These are the last games Purdue has against teams that will likely be in the NCAA Tournament, so it is a great chance to make a resume statement. The Trojans are faltering too. They were swept themselves this past weekend at Nebraska 8-7, 12-2, and 16-6. Getting a road win or two over a top 25 team would be a huge boost. The Trojans started the year strong, but they have now lost 8 of their last 11.
There are 16 games remaining in the regular season. Nine are against conference opponents, and nine are at home at Alexander Field. If I had to estimate I would say that a 9-7 finish would be enough to get in, especially if one of those wins came at USC. Anything better and Purdue is probably a lock. Here is the remaining schedule:
4/21 vs. Indiana State (21-19, the Trees are in the running in the MVC, RPI 144)
4/24-26 at USC (30-11, 13-8 Big Ten, RPI 15)
4/29 vs. Southern Indiana (22-18, RPI 207)
5/1-3 vs. Murray State (23-16, RPI 152, The Raceers lead the MVC and were in the CWS last year)
5/5 vs. Ball State (18-20, RPI 188, two games out of first in the MAC)
5/8-10 vs. Indiana (18-22, 6-12 Big Ten, RPI 102)
5/12 at Ball State (18-20, RPI 188)
5/14-16 vs. Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa (18-16, 7-11 Big Ten, RPI 89)
The schedule is very favorable the rest of the way and Purdue has a real shot at reaching 40 wins for only the second time in program history.
