Purdue 11, Illinois-Chicago 9: Boilers Get Bounceback Win

Tonight was the final non-conference game of the season for Purdue and, since it was on the road agaisnt a top 100 team, it was an important one. After blowing a late lead on Sunday agaisnt Indiana the Boilermakers need as many wins as possible to stay in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth. Baseball America still had Purdue on its Bubble Watch earlier today, but there is a lot of work to do yet. The final two series of the year at Michigan and at home agaisnt Illinois are probably must-wins now after losing the Indiana series, but the good news is that if Purdue wins both it will be right there for the Big Ten title.

Tonight Purdue headed north to Chicago to take on the Illinois-Chicago Flames. The Boilers were seeking a measure of revenge after the Flames got a 6-5 win in 14 innings earlier this season at Alexander Field, and with a 30-13 record coming into the top and a top 100 RPI a victory would be a nice little boost to Purdue's resume.

It was a wild, back-and-forth affair, but Purdue managed to close out a 11-9 thanks to the longball.

Early on it looked like Purdue was going to roll in this one. The Boilers put up five runs in the first inning thanks to a two-run home run from Luke Gaffney and a three-run home run from Jo Stevens. That gave midweek starter Cole Van Assen a 5-0 lead before he even threw a pitch, and it expanded to 6-0 when Mike Bolton Jr. scored on a Couper Cornblum sac fly in the second.

A two-run double from Jackson Fisher was part of a three-run second inning for the Flames that cut the lead in half. The Flames would then take the lead with a run in the third and three more in the fourth to go up 7-6 as Van Assen was chased from the game and Carter Doorn was hit for three runs.

That lead would hold for UIC until the top of the sixth when Ty Gill hit a two-run home run to center field to make it 8-7. Zane Zielinski tied it back up with a homer of his own for the Flames in the bottom of the inning, but Couper Cornblum scored on a double play in the seventh to make it 9-8. Thomas Green then had a two-run home run into the left field bullpen in the eighth for a pair of much-needed insurance runs.

Those runs would be needed since Kendal Ewell led off the ninth with a solo shot for UIC, but Avery Cook closed it out without any further trouble. He earned the save, while Davis Pratt got his first win of the season with three strikeouts in two innings of relief.

The win makes Purdue 32-17 on the season headed into a critical trip ot Ann Arbor this weekend. Since it came on the road it goes as one of Purdue's best wins of the year according to the RPI as well.

Any NCAA Tournament hopes likely rely on winning both of the remaining series agaisnt Michigan and Illinois, plus a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, but Purdue at least has a chance. Tonight's win helps. There will likely be some separation in the conference this weekend as the top six teams all play each other. Indiana (12-6) is at Nebraska (12-6), Purdue (12-6) is at Michigan (11-7), and Iowa (13-8) is at Illinois (13-5).

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