By Keith Thomas
Staff Writer

Thanks to solid pitching and a seven-run fourth inning, the Purdue baseball team won its home opener Tuesday afternoon, 10-1, over Valparaiso.

Purdue (10-6) starter Russ Morgan (3-2) threw five no-hit innings before being pulled for reliever Travis Dorsch in the top of the sixth inning. Morgan struck out five Crusader hitters and gave up only one walk during his strong five-inning performance. Coach Doug Schreiber said it was important for Morgan to gain some confidence on the mound. But even though Morgan had not allowed a hit, Schreiber didn't want to leave him in for too long.

"We wanted him to get on track a little bit, which I think he did," said Schreiber. "Once we scored the seven runs in the fourth, we knew the fifth was going to be his last."

Morgan, who has 10 strikeouts on the season, said that he was pleased with his performance.

"It was a good game for me to get back on track," said Morgan. "I could have gone another inning, but I think they may want to save me for the weekend."

Having a seven-run lead is something that Morgan said helps pitchers relax, which in turn helps their confidence.

Purdue earned its seven-run lead in the fourth inning as Valparaiso hurler Justin Craker (0-3), who relieved starter Devin Helps (1-0) in the fourth inning, walked in two Boiler runs before giving up a three-run double to designated hitter Daryl Hallada.

The Boilers added two more runs in the inning before being retired, giving them a 7–0 lead. Purdue added a run in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI single by second baseman Erik Frei.

In the top of the sixth, Dorsch came in to pitch for Purdue and gave up Valparaiso’s first hit of the game with two outs in the inning. Dorsch gave up three consecutive hits, allowing a run and making the score 8-1. But that's all the scoring Valpo could muster as Dorsch struck out Matt Nardiello to end the inning.

A Frei single in the seventh and a fielder’s choice in the eighth gave the Boilers a 10-1 lead.

Despite the win and large margin of victory, Schreiber was not completely satisfied with the team’s overall performance.

"We still have some things that we have to work out," said Schreiber. "We pitched well, but we didn’t play great defense."

The Boilers committed three errors in the game, two by third basemen John Badylak.

"We’ve got to figure out who is going to play third base for us and play there with some consistency," said Schreiber.

One thing that did please the coaching staff was the effectiveness of the pitchers. Purdue utilized six pitchers, while only giving up four hits and the lone run. The Boiler hurlers struck out eight Crusaders and gave up only two free passes on the day.

Offensively, Purdue pounded out 13 hits, 11 of which were singles with two extra base hits. The Boilers, however, swiped seven bases, getting caught only once. Three of the steals came from junior David Blomberg, who stole two in one inning.

Frei said the impressive day for the Boilers is just one step toward the ultimate goal. He said he is looking forward to the start of Big Ten play, which begins with a four-game series this weekend against Michigan State.

"This is why we played hard in the preseason," said Frei, who was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and one run scored in the win over Valpo.

All things considered, Schreiber said he is happy to get the win and is ready to prepare for the conference opener.

"We’ve got things to work out, but I think the guys are ready to take on the Big Ten," Schreiber said.