First baseman hits for cycle;
Boilers beat Butler
by eight
By Paul Trembacki
Sports
Editor
Senior Nate Sickler went 5-for-5 and hit for the
cycle as the Purdue baseball team extended its winning streak to 11
games with a 10-2 victory over Butler Wednesday at Bulldog Park in Butler,
Ind.
Purdue (16-14) got two runs on a Sickler double
in the top of the first and never trailed. The Boilers had 16 hits and
received six walks.
Butler (15-15) managed only eight hits in 36 at-bats
and left a total of 12 men on base.
Sickler, Purdue's starting left fielder, had two
home runs, a double, a triple and a single. The right-handed hitter
from Hinckley, Minn., finished eight RBIs and two runs scored.
Second baseman Dave Blomberg was 2-for-5 with an
RBI, and catcher David Harrell had the other RBI while going 3-for-3
with two walks and four runs scored.
"We’re getting extra base hits, which I think
is a key to our offense," Purdue coach Doug Schreiber said earlier this
week. "Offensively, with seven or eight guys hitting the ball pretty
well at a current time, hopefully it’s going to continue."
On Wednesday, six of Purdue's nine starters collected
hits. Blomberg doubled for Purdue's only extra-base hit that didn't
come off the bat of Sickler. The offense excelled, and the pitchers
continued their domination.
"The starting pitching has picked up and our
relievers are starting to settle into some of their roles, knowing what
is expected out of them," Schreiber said earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Luke Howard knew what was expected
and pitched four innings, allowing just one unearned run for the win.
He improved to 1-1 and had a strikeout and a walk.
Adam Green pitched two shutout innings and had
three strikeouts. Jim Davies, Ben Kaebisch and Dustin Glant pitched
the final three innings and didn't allow an earned run. Kaebisch gave
up an unearned run. Purdue had three errors.
Butler pitcher Pat Neshek gave up four runs —
all earned — in five innings of work. He had seven strikeouts and
four walks.
Six of Butler's nine starters had hits, but none
of the hits were for extra bases.
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