2024 Big Ten Baseball Tournament: Indiana 8, Purdue 6
Purdue baseball has struggled big time in recent weeks with giving up the infamous big inning. In the final two games agaisnt Indiana a few weeks ago the Hoosiers erased a late Purdue lead with a big inning. Michigan and Illinois did plenty of damage against the Purdue bullpen the last two weeks as well. On Tuesday in the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha the Hoosiers did it yet again.
Indiana got three runs in the fifth and five in the sixth to take an 8-1 lead on Purdue before holding on for an 8-6 win in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament.
Purdue got on the board first in the top of the fourth when Jo Stevens scored on a Thomas Green sacrifice fly. Jasen Oliver's three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth put Indiana in front for good and hung the loss on Purdue starter Jordan Morales.
The Hoosiers then broke the game open with five in the sixth. Oliver had an RBI double and scored as Indiana nickeled and dime Purdue for five runs on seven hits in the inning.
The Boilers still had chances to get back in it. Keenan Spence led off the eighth with a solo home run. Purdue then was able to load the bases with two outs, but Couper Cornblum was thrown out at home trying to score on a passed ball.
It was unfortunate that he was out, as Keenan Taylor, who was at bat when Cornblum was out at home, began the ninth with a solo home run. Spence then added a three-run home run and Stevens got a bloop single to bring the tying run to the plate with no one out. Cornblum grounded into a double play before Green struck out to end the game.
Leaving runners on base was once against a problem for Purdue, as it left 11 on base, seven in the first five innings.
Purdue is now into the loser's bracket, where it will face Nebraska game at approximately 8pm ET on Wednesday.
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