#18 PURDUE BASEBALL COMPLETES SERIES SWEEP OF ILLINOIS

SCHREIBER BREAKS WINS RECORD 

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.– Starting pitchers Lance Breedlove and Connor Podkul teamed up to allow only one earned run over 14 innings Sunday, leading No. 18 Purdue baseball to a doubleheader and series sweep of Illinois at Lambert Field. Head coach Doug Schreiber won his 408th career game in the nightcap to become the program’s all-time leader.

The Boilermakers (28-5, 10-2) won game won, 4-1, and scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to take game two, 5-3. Purdue has won eight consecutive games and now holds a 2 ½-game lead in the Big Ten standings over second-place Minnesota.

Schreiber eclipsed the program wins record held by Dave Alexander, who Schreiber played for from 1983-86. He received numerous postgame congratulations from numerous people in attendance as well as a postgame Gatorade shower from his players, his second ceremonial dousing in the last 15 days. He received a similar postgame shower after winning his 400th game March 31.

Breedlove (6-2) and reliever Blake Mascarello (6-1) both earned their sixth wins of the season. Breedlove lowered his ERA in Big Ten play to 0.55 with 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball. He has now pitched 25 consecutive shutout innings at Lambert Field dating back to May 2011.

Mascarello pitched the final 2 2/3 innings of game two, surrendering only an unearned run. Illinois (18-16, 3-6 Big Ten) tied the game in the top of the eighth after a throwing error on catcher Kevin Plawecki, his first miscue of the season, but Mascarello prevented the Illini from going in front. With runners on the corners and one out, he induced an inning-ending 6-3 ground ball double play off the bat of No. 3 hitter Justin Parr. Shortstop David Miller handled that play himself, a fitting highlight on a solid defensive weekend for the leader of the infield.

Purdue scored three of its five runs in game two on wild pitches. Plawecki scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on a wild pitch with two outs and Miller at the plate.

Illinois did not score its first run of the series until the ninth inning of game one Sunday. The Purdue pitching staff has surrendered no more than four runs during the eight-game win streak, compiling a 1.12 team ERA.

The Boilermakers posted their second consecutive weekend sweep after failing to seal the deal in their first two Big Ten series of the season. It was Purdue’s fifth undefeated weekend overall this year. The Boilers have swept back-to-back Big Ten series for the first time since 2001 and brought out the brooms against Illinois for the first time since April 2000.