Boilers use dramatics to take three of four from Penn State

The Purdue baseball team closed a successful weekend at home with a last-inning 5-4 victory over Penn State Sunday at Lambert Field.

The win capped a 3-1 weekend for the Boilers (19-15, 11-3 Big Ten) and kept them in first place for at least another week.

Billy Lester (2-1) was the winning pitcher while Kevin Damiano (1-3) takes the loss.

On Sunday Penn State jumped to an early lead, scoring runs in the first and second innings and led 2-1 after three innings.

After Penn State added another run, the Boilermakers did not score until the bottom of the eighth inning when Brad Kriner hit his first home run of the season, closing the gap to 3-2.

Purdue entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 4-2. Mitch Koester pinch-hit for John Badylak and walked. Daniel Underwood reached base on a sacrifice bunt that resulted in a throwing error by the third baseman. Underwood still received credit for a sacrifice, but was not credited with a hit due to the error. Koester scored from second and Michael Duursma advanced to third. Dave Blomberg then reached on a fielder’s choice, which scored Duursma to tie the game at 4-4.

Later in the inning, David Harrell stepped to the plate with runners on first and second and ripped a double that went all the way to the right field wall, scoring Blomberg from second and capping a three-run ninth.

Harrell finished the day as the lone Boilermaker with two hits, going 2-for-4 with a double and the game-winning RBI. He finished the weekend 7-for-14 with five RBI and two runs scored, including game-winning shots in Saturday’s first game and Sunday’s game.

On Saturday Harrell hit a three-run homer with the score tied at two in the bottom of the ninth, driving in Duursma and Blomberg for Purdue's 13th straight win.

But the nation's longest winning streak of the season stopped at 13 as Purdue fell 3-1 in the second game.

Purdue held a 1-0 lead until the top of the sixth when Penn State's Chris Netwall hit a solo shot to even the score. In the top of the seventh, the Nittany Lions added two more to take a 3-1 lead. Purdue tried to start a rally in the bottom of the seventh, as John Gusich and Duursma singled to put two runners on, but were not able to advance.

Dave Gassner pitched seven innings and allowed just one earned run and struck out 10 batters, a season high for him. He now has 189 career strikeouts, one away from tying Sherard Clinkscales (1990-92) for sixth place on the school's all-time list. For the season, Gassner has struck out 42 batters and allowed just 12 walks. His complete game is his third in his last four outings, giving him nine for his career.

Chadd Blasko (4-3) had a complete game in the first game, striking out nine Nittany Lions and allowing just one walk.

When the Boilers won 7-3 Friday, Ben Quick got the win, his fourth of the season and third in a row.

Quick gave up a run in the second inning, but the rest of his innings were scoreless. He finished the game with eight innings pitched, the one earned run and 12 hits. He struck out six and only walked one. He now has 58 strikeouts on the season.

With RBIs from Harrell, Underwood and Nick McIntyre, Purdue led 5-1 after just two innings and cruised the rest of the way behind Quick.

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Football team improves for second scrimmage

Boilers use dramatics to take three of four from Penn State

Softball team seeks improvement

Purdue goes 1-1 over weekend

Boilers snap losing streak

Purdue reels in Old Minnow Bucket

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Sports editor:
Paul Trembacki

Assistant sports editor:
Anne McLaren

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