WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For the first time since May 2010, Purdue baseball has won a series against Illinois in Champaign.
Boilermakers capped off a perfect 4-0 weekend with a 20-6 win over Illini on Monday. Purdue, now 10-15 on the season, was part of a three-team pod with Illinois and Michigan State. After winning two games against both Illini and Spartans, the team has won five straight games and six of the last seven.
Boilermakers ’20 runs in the last game against Illini were the most since they brought in 27 against Purdue Fort Wayne in May 2018. Purdue has now registered a winning streak of five games in each of the last two seasons.
The program scored 13 races in the ninth round over the weekend, and during the first 25 matches, 33 ninth rounds have been registered.
Monday: 20-6 Win over Illinois
Purdue started his Monday game against Illinois quickly as senior Miles Simington and fifth-year senior Zac Fascia each hammered their first home run of the season in the first round, bringing in five scores. Boilermakers scored several races in five different rounds, including six in the final frame.
Newcomer Jeremy Schork also hit his first home run of the season - a grand slam in the ninth round. By joining redshirt rookie Cam Johnson as the only other player for the Boilermakers to hit grand slams this season, Schork helped the team register two in the same season since 2016.
Sophomore pitcher Jett Jackson started his first start since March 28, playing to the bottom of the fourth where he let two hitters get to base. After allowing a starting run to start the game, he retired eight consecutive players in the Illini lineup.
The only hit he allowed was a two-out bundle single.
Sunday: 6-4 Win over Illinois
Purdue snatched an eight-game losing streak against Illinois on Sunday. Boilermakers defeated Fighting Illini at home for the first time since the 2014 opening. Following the victory over Michigan State earlier that day, Purdue defeated two different teams on the same day for the first time since the recording of victory against Saint Louis and Incarnate Word in 2018.
Simington recorded a two-run double that broke an otherwise even match in the ninth round. The results ended up being the difference against Illinois when Purdue earned a 6-4 victory.
In the opening round against Illinois, senior Ben Nisle nailed his fifth home run of the season - a team high and 14th of his career - on a two-run slam.
Sunday: 8-3 Win over Michigan State
While leading by just one point before going into the top of the ninth inning, Purdue brought in four races to secure an almost insurmountable lead over Michigan State. Boilermakers won the match 8-3, and officially swept the Spartans.
Purdue has won three of his four matchups with Michigan State so far this season, including three straight, dating back to April 12. The victory on Monday marked the first time since Purdue’s 2005 series against Iowa that the Boilermakers gathered to win a four-game series.
Sunday: 2-1 Win over Michigan State
Purdue opened the weekend with an 11-inning thriller against Michigan State. Junior Evan Albrecht brought in the equalizer of the match in the ninth round and also secured the victory for the Boilermakers by driving home a departure result.
It was the Boilermakers’ third walk-off victory this season, the first time they have recorded three that way since 2017.
At the top of the 11th round, senior Tyler Powers took a dive at third base with two Michigan State runners at base for the team finals.
Junior Calvin Schapira recorded seven strikes in more than seven innings, tying the season high. It was the longest trip for a Boilermaker pitcher since Tanner Andrews hit a complete game in 2018.