April 24, 2010
Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Lambert Field)
Score: Northwestern 7, Purdue 5
Records: NU (14-23, 6-5 Big Ten), Purdue (23-15, 6-5 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, April 25 -- at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), Noon CT
Box Score
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Hamilton Wise drove in three runs as Northwestern posted a 7-5 victory to earn a doubleheader split with Purdue Saturday afternoon at Lambert Field. The Boilermakers won the opening game of the twinbill 2-1.
After the two teams battled through a pitchers' duel in the opening game, it was the offenses that squared off in the nightcap.
Purdue wasted little time in getting on the board against David Jensen in the first as Tyler Spillner hit a leadoff triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Eric Charles. Northwestern answered right back against Purdue starter Matt Morgan in the ensuing half-inning as Zach Morton walked with one away, stole second and scored on a two-out double to left by Chris Kontos.
The game remained knotted until the top of the fourth when the Wildcats were able to take their first lead of the doubleheader. Chris Lashmet started things with a single and Morton was then hit by a pitch to put two aboard for NU. Trevor Stevens followed with a perfectly placed bunt which turned into a single and loaded the bases. Two batters later, Hamilton Wise helped wipe the bases clean as he singled to right and all three runners came around to score following an error by the Boilermakers' right fielder.
However, Purdue was able to answer with a pair of runs in its half of the fourth to get back within 4-3. Jensen allowed a leadoff single, but then recorded back-to-back flyouts. Following a stolen base, it appeared NU would get out of the inning unscathed, but Ryan Bridges' grounder to first bounced over the head of Paul Snieder for an RBI single.
Two hits later, the Boilermakers found themselves within a run and the Wildcats brought on Francis Brooke to relieve Jensen. The hosts had the tying and go-ahead run on base, but Brooke got a flyout to right to help Northwestern maintain the lead.
The Wildcats did their best to help Purdue take the lead in the home half of the fifth as errors by three different NU infielders loaded the bases. But Brooke got catcher Kevin Plawecki to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.
Northwestern added to its advantage with solo tallies in the sixth and seventh innings. Wise plated his third run of the game with a groundout in the top of the sixth and Lashmet came through with a two-out RBI single to center in the next frame.
Brooke retired seven consecutive batters before the Boilermakers closed back to within a run as they scored twice in the bottom of the eighth on a sac fly and a solo home run. A Purdue error with two outs in the ninth proved costly, though, as it allowed Noble to score from third.
Snieder came on to work the bottom half of the ninth and set the Boilermakers down in order to improve to 8-for-8 on the season in save opportunities.
Brooke worked 4 1/3 innings to earn his fourth win of the season. He allowed two runs on two hits. Lashmet, Noble and Stevens led the Wildcats at the plate with two hits apiece.
The teams are slated to wrap up their three-game series at noon Central time Sunday.