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ILLINOIS COMPLETES SERIES SWEEP
CHAMPAIGN,
Ill. – On another day in which the wind was blowing out at a
hitter-friendly ballpark, Illinois again pounded out 20 hits and scored
eight times in an inning to complete a Big Ten series sweep of Purdue
baseball, 17-6, Sunday afternoon.
The Fighting Illini (22-10,
5-4 Big Ten) swept the Boilermakers (11-22, 4-8 Big Ten) for the first
time since 1999 (also in Champaign) and extracted a little revenge
after Purdue swept a much lower-scoring series in West Lafayette last
year.
Illinois’ Justin Parr hit for the cycle Sunday, finishing
the day 4-for-5 with four RBI. The Fighting Illini hit four home runs
Sunday and eight in the series. Reid Roper connected for his third
two-run homer in as many games. Entering the weekend, the sophomore had
not homered since the first game of his college career.
Kyle Wood hit a two-run homer for Purdue and scored three times. Kyle Johnson and Conner Hudnall also had a pair of hits.
The
Boilermakers grounded into a pair of inning-ending double plays with
the bases loaded, preventing them from ever really being a threat to at
least tie the game after Illinois jumped out to a 6-0 lead. On both
occasions, the Purdue batter hit the double play ball on the first
pitch of his at-bat and the Illini went on to post a big inning in the
bottom of the frame.
Trailing 6-2 in the top of the fifth, Jack
Picchiotti grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Illinois scored three
times in the bottom of the inning thanks to three straights hits to
begin the frame and later consecutive two-out RBI singles. The
Boilermakers had cut their deficit to 9-5 when Hudnall stepped to the
plate as the tying run in the eighth inning. He too grounded into a
4-6-3 twin killing. The Fighting Illini then blew the game open with
their second eight-run rally of the series. The first nine Illinois
batters of the bottom of the eighth reached base safely and Parr
finished his cycle with a two-run triple.
A dropped fly ball in
left center field followed by three straight hits, including a two-run
homer from Brandon Hohl, gave the Illini an early 4-0 lead. Purdue had
scored first in the first two games of the series.
The
Boilermakers recorded four extra-base hits against Illinois starter
Ryan Castellanos (2-0), who had surrendered only two in 17 1/3 innings
pitched entering the weekend. Josh Estill and Kyle Johnson each doubled
in the fourth inning, Johnson’s two-bagger down the left line plating a
pair. Kyle Bischoff and Hudnall also connected for doubles in the loss.
After
throwing fewer than 40 pitches while recording only one out as Purdue’s
starting pitcher in Friday’s 17-12 slugfest, Jordan Minch appeared in
relief for the second time this season. He was able to work a 1-2-3
bottom of the sixth and put up another zero in the seventh. Starter
Brad Schreiber (1-5) was hit hard again but did strike out the side in
order in the bottom of the fourth. He surrendered three home runs
Sunday.
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