Miscues Cost Northwestern in 10-2 Loss to Purdue

4/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

April 24, 2011

Box Score

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Rocky Miller Park)
Score: Purdue 10, Northwestern 2
Records: NU (13-23, 5-7 Big Ten), Purdue (27-13, 7-5 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Tuesday, April 26 -- vs. St. Xavier (Rocky Miller Park), 3 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Four Northwestern errors in the first two innings led to six early Purdue runs as the Wildcats dropped their series finale with the Boilermakers 10-2 Sunday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park.

In an instant replay of the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, two miscues by the hosts led to five Purdue runs before Northwestern even came to bat. A one-out double by Eric Charles was followed by a run-scoring single by Cameron Perkins to put the Boilermakers in front. Following a fielding error, Barrett Serrato drove in one with a double to right. Two more runs came across on a second error on a grounder in the inning before an RBI groundout by Payton Bieker made it 5-0.

NU starter Dan Tyson's defense didn't do him any more favors in the second as two more errors on the first two plays led to yet another unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Serrato.

The lead grew to 7-0 in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Kevin Plawicki before the visitors added two more in the sixth on an RBI single by Charles and a sac fly by Serrato.

On Saturday, Northwestern's offense scored 21 runs and pounded out 31 hits while chasing a pair of Purdue starting pitchers with ERAs under 3.00 in the fourth inning. Calvin Gunter got the nod on Sunday for the Boilermakers with a season ERA of 10.26, but the Wildcats had no answer for the left-hander. He worked 5 2/3 innings scoreless, surrendering just three hits.

Purdue got one final run in the seventh on an RBI groundout by David Blount. After Lance Breedlove worked 1 1/3 innings scoreless, NU finally cashed in against Boilermaker closer Nick Wittgren in the eighth. With one out, pinch hitter Jack Livingston drew a walk and then scored two batters later on a ringing double to right-center by Paul Snieder. Chris Lashmet followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 10-2. However, that would be all the run production that the Wildcats would be able to muster.

Matt Gailey worked 3 2/3 innings of solid relief, allowing just two hits and one run. Lashmet paced the Northwestern offense with three hits, while Snieder and Jack Havey added two apiece.

Northwestern returns to action at 3 p.m. Tuesday as it hosts St. Xavier at Rocky Miller Park.

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