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Indiana State University Athletics

pruitt
4
Winner Indiana State INS 19-12
1
Purdue PUR 14-17
Winner
Indiana State INS
19-12
4
Final
1
Purdue PUR
14-17
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Indiana State INS 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 6 0
Purdue PUR 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 1

W: Pruitt, Jacob (1-1) L: BACKER, CJ (0-3) S: Cutts, Brennyn (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Winning streak reaches seven as Sycamores top Boilermakers, 4-1

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Mike Sears and Grant Magill both drove in two runs and the Indiana State pitching staff put on another clinic on the mound as the Sycamores picked up the 4-1 midweek win over Purdue on Tuesday night at Alexander Field.
 
Indiana State (19-12) ran its winning streak to seven games as the Sycamores completed the 2023 series sweep over Purdue (14-17). ISU previously topped the Boilermakers back at Bob Warn Field on March 28, 8-2. The win over Purdue extended ISU's winning streak over Boilermakers to six consecutive games dating back to 2018.
 
ISU and Purdue were locked in a pitcher's duel early before Sears broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third inning. Following Seth Gergely's one-out double to right center, Sears worked a 2-2 count against Purdue starter CJ Backer (0-3) before connecting on a no-doubt blast over the left field wall for his team-leading 11th home run of the season giving the Sycamores the early lead.
 
Looking to add insurance late in the game, ISU loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against Purdue reliever Aaron Suval. Adam Pottinger connected on a single through the right side, while Keegan Watson connected on a fielder's choice and Miguel Rivera drew a four-pitch walk bringing Magill to the plate with the bases juiced.

The redshirt junior catcher took the first two pitches before driving a ground ball through the left side of the infield scoring both Pottinger and Watson to put the Sycamores ahead 4-1 heading into the seventh inning stretch.
 
Purdue put runners on base in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings as the Boilermakers attempted to keep the game alive. However the ISU defense came through turning double plays in all three innings to end the Boilermaker hopes and Brennyn Cutts (S, 1) struck out the final Purdue hitter in the bottom of the ninth to close out the Sycamore win.
 
Gergely and Randal Diaz both doubled for the Sycamores on Tuesday night as ISU connected on six hits in the win. Sears and Magill combined to drive in all four ISU runs.
 
Seven Indiana State pitchers drew time on the mound with Jacob Pruitt (1-1) picking up the win following a 2.0-inning relief stint. Pruitt surrendered the lone Purdue run and struck out three in the win. Cam Edmonson and Simon Gregersen both recorded 2.0-inning shutout relief outings on the day, while Cole Gilley, Zach Davidson, and Cutts also kept Purdue off the scoreboard on Tuesday night.
 
Mike Bolton Jr. was 3-for-3 with a double and Purdue's lone RBI in the loss.
 
Backer took the loss after going the first three innings in the start. The right-hander allowed three hits and two runs while striking out four. Jackson Dannelley and Suval also added 3.0-inning stints on Tuesday night.
 
How They Scored
  • Mike Sears opened the scoring with a two-run home run to left field in the top of the third scoring Seth Gergely and giving the Sycamores the 2-0 lead.
  • Mike Bolton Jr. put Purdue on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI single to left field scoring Evan Albrecht to narrow it to a 2-1 ballgame.
  • Grant Magill capped the scoring with a bases-loaded two-run single through the left side of the infield scoring Adam Pottinger and Keegan Watson to provide the final 4-1 margin.
 
News & Notes
  • Indiana State ran its winning streak to seven consecutive games following the 4-1 win over the Boilermakers. The streak is ISU's longest since posting a nine-game stretch in the 2019 season spanning March 2-17 with victories over Austin Peay (twice), Mercer (three), Purdue (one), and The Citadel (three).
  • The Sycamores also extended their winning streak against Purdue to six consecutive games dating back to the 2018 season as ISU completed the season sweep over the Boilermakers.
  • Indiana State improved to 4-4 against the Big Ten in the 2023 season with the Tuesday night win.
  • The Sycamores also improved to 6-1 in Tuesday games in the 2023 season.
  • Luis Hernandez extended his on-base streak to a career-best 24 consecutive games following his fourth-inning single.
  • Hernandez's streak ties for the fourth-longest in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era and is the longest since Jake Means reached 24 consecutive games back in the 2019 season.
  • Seth Gergely extended his on-base streak to 15 games following his one-out double in the top of the third inning.
  • Mike Sears' third-inning home run gave him a team-high 11 in the 2023 season and seven homers over the last three weeks.
  • Jacob Pruitt picked up his first win in the Sycamore Blue & White with a strong 2.0-inning relief stint.
  • The Sycamores ran out seven pitchers on Tuesday night and surrendered just one earned run while striking out six to continue a dominant stretch this season.
  • ISU's staff has posted a sparkling 2.11 ERA over the last seven games dating back to April 2 against UIC.
Up Next
Indiana State continues its five-game road trip with a three-game series at Belmont University as the Sycamores head back into Missouri Valley Conference play. First pitch in Friday's opener at E.S. Rose Park is set for 5 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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