After being limited to one hit through eight innings, Purdue baseball delivered four consecutive hits to help the Boilermakers rally for a 3-2 walk-off win vs. South Dakota State on Sunday at Alexander Field.
Purdue (23-23) rallied to win after trailing entering the ninth inning for the first time since the nightcap of the March 20 doubleheader with Illinois State last season, according to a news release from Purdue Sports. The Boilermakers won in walk-off fashion for the third time this season and the ninth time since the start of the 2022 campaign.
Connor Caskenette’s game-tying RBI double in the ninth inning extended his hit streak to 17 consecutive games. Jake Parr followed with a high chopper over the third baseman’s head for the game-winning single, recording his second walk-off RBI of the season. He joined Cam Thompson and Evan Albrecht as active Boilermakers with multiple walk-off RBI.
Consecutive singles from Mike Bolton Jr. and Couper Cornblum ignited the ninth-inning rallies. They registered their hits against SDSU reliever Eli Sundquist, who had allowed only nine hits in 24 1/3 innings this season entering the frame.
NOTABLE STREAKS EXTENDED SUNDAY
• Connor Caskenette (RBI Double) – 24-game on-base streak; 17-game hit streak; 16-game hit streak at Alexander
• Jake Parr (RBI Single, 2 BB) – 20-game on-base streak; 14-game on-base streak at Alexander
• Couper Cornblum (1-for-4, RBI, R) – 13-game hit streak, 10-game hit streak at Alexander
Kyle Iwinski pitched 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball. The only runs he allowed came on a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning. Iwinski has a 1.59 ERA and .200 batting average against in 28 1/3 innings pitched at home this season. He’s pitched into the seventh inning in all four starts and into the eighth inning twice. Sunday’s game marked the fourth time this season Iwinski had at least six scoreless innings in an outing.
After Iwinski’s lone walk of the day, 9-hole hitter Matthew Werk connected for a home run into the bullpen beyond the left field wall. It was the freshman’s first collegiate homer. He was not in the original SDSU (19-22) starting lineup but was inserted late after second baseman and 5-hole hitter Cade Stuff was scratched.
Jake Goble did his part to make Sunday a pitcher’s duel at Alexander. The sophomore limited Purdue to just one hit and an unearned run through seven innings, striking out five.
Jackson Dannelley struck out four of the six batters he faced over an inning and two-thirds of one-hit relief.
Evan Albrecht scored the game’s first run of the day in the sixth inning as Purdue broke the scoreless stalemate without the luxury of a hit. Albrecht reached on an inning-opening error, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt from Bolton, stole third base and scored on an RBI ground out from Cornblum.
The four-game series concludes Monday at 11:30 a.m. The Boilermakers will go for their third four-game series victory of the season and fifth since the start of 2022. Purdue has not played a home game on a Monday since May 2010.