B1G tourney - IU knocks off Purdue, 8-6, after some 9th inning drama...

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LHP Ty Bothwell is on the mound for IU with an overall ERA of 5.02 in 71.2 IP and a WHIP of 1.31 with an OBA of .254. Conference season stats: ERA of 5.63 in 40.0 IP with a WHIP of 1.42 and an OBA .263. The only change to the batting order from the Michigan series is that Stadler will be in the No. 9 slot and Oliver at the No. 8 slot.

LHP Jordan Morales is on the mound for Purdue with an overall ERA of 4.26 in 80.1 IP and a WHIP of 1.41 with an OBA of .284. Conference season stats: ERA of 3.37 in 50.2 IP with a WHIP of 1.26 and an OBA of .249.

It's 66 degrees and cloudy with the wind out of the NW at 18 mph and is blowing out when it usually blows in at that park.

1st inning:

T1st:

On a full count, Bothwell hit the batter to put the leadoff hitter on. Bothwell got the next batter on an infield pop-up. Another pop-up, a foul, was caught by Tibbitts for two outs. A line out to right center retired the side. There were a lot foul offs in the inning with Bothwell throwing 25 pitches.

B1st:

Taylor led off with a bunt single to put a man on. Pyne flied out to CF for the first out.

A tough break for IU where a ball hit by Mitchell hit Taylor in the base path for two outs. The ball that Mitchell hit was an infield hit, but it would have gone into the outfield if not for Taylor being hit by it.

Cerny Kd to end the inning.

End of 1st: IU 0 PU 0

 

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2nd inning:

T2nd:

Bothwell faced the 5 thru 7 hitters. Bothwell got the leadoff batter on a flyout to right center. A foul out to RF got the 2nd out.

Purdue got back-to-back two-out singles to put runners on 1st and 2nd. A WP moved both runners to 2nd and 3rd.

A full count walk loaded the bases with two outs. Bothwell then got a flyout to LF with Taylor getting twisted around because of the wind and had to dive for the out. After two quick outs, Bothwell added to his PC which is now at 43.

B2nd:

It was the 5 thru 7 hitters up with Brenczewski leading off and he flied out. Tibbitts flied out for the 2nd out.

Mathison was robbed of a home run which was caught just over the top of the RF wall and it ended the inning.

End of 2nd: IU 0 PU 0

 

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3rd inning:

T3rd:

It's the 2 thru 4 hitters up and the leadoff hitter singled to start the inning. Buhr was warming up in the bullpen.

Bothwell got his first K of the game for one out and a runner at 1st. A lineout to CF got the 2nd out. In a mix up in the outfield, Taylor and Mathison were both there for a flyball and almost got tangled up with Taylor ending up with the ball to retire the side. The wind has cost some problems for both teams.

B3rd:

It was the 8 thru 1 hitters up and Oliver singled to lead off. Stadler reached on a bunt with Oliver out at 2nd on a FC. Taylor hit into a DP to end the inning.

End of 3rd: IU 0 PU 0

 

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4th inning:

T4th:

It was the 6 thru 8 hitters up for Purdue and IU brought in RHP Drew Buhr with an ERA of 3.41 in 37.0 IP and a WHIP of 1.22. Purdue has two lefties in the batting order and they were at the No. 1 and No. 9 slots.

Purdue gets the leadoff hitter on with a double and the Boilers have had the leadoff hitter on in 3 of 4 innings so far.

On a bunt, Stadler barely got the runner at 1st and Purdue challenged the call and it appeared the runner was safe. The runner was ruled safe and Purdue had runners on the corners with no outs.

A sliding catch by Mathison in CF was enough to score the runner at 3rd with a runner on 1st and one out.

Buhr got a K for the 2nd out and the runner still at 1st. A flyout to LF retired the side.

B4th:

It's the 2 thru 4 hitters up with Pyne leading off and he Kd looking on three pitches for the first out.

Mitchell flied out for the 2nd out. Cerny popped up on the infield to end the inning and IU is off to another bad start hitting-wise.

End of 4th: PU 1 IU 0

 

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5th inning:

T5th:

It's the 2 thru 4 hitters up for Purdue. A groundout got the first out. Buhr hit a batter to put a runner on and it was the second hit batter of the game by IU.

A flyout got the 2nd out and a foul out to Stadler retired the side.

B5th:

The Purdue starter was only at 46 pitches going into this inning. It's the 5 thru 7 hitters up with Brenczewski leading off and he grounded out to the pitcher on the first pitch.

Tibbitts singled to put a runner on with one out. IU had yet to have a runner reach 2nd today.

Mathison walked on a 3-1 count to put two runners on at 1st and 2nd with one out, and IU's first scoring threat of the game.

Oliver clubbed a one-out, three-run homer to RF to give IU a 3-1 lead. Stadler Kd on three pitches for the 2nd out and we were at the top of the order in Taylor.

Taylor was hit by a pitch to put a runner on with two outs. Pyne fouled out to end the inning.

End of 5th: IU 3 PU 1

 

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6th inning:

T6th:

Buhr faced the 6 thru 8 hitters and he put them down in order.

B6th:

It was the 3 thru 5 hitters up with Mitchell leading off and he singled to put a man on.

Cerny double to score Mitchell from 1st and IU had a 4-1 lead and no outs and that chased the starter for Purdue.

The Boilers brought in RHP Carter Doorn with an ERA of 4.33 in 35.1 IP and a WHIP of 1.10, and he faced Brenczewski with no outs and Cerny at 2nd.

Brenczewski flied out to LF for the first out and Cerny caught the left fielder napping and he took 3rd as the fielder threw a lazy throw into the infield.

Tibbitts doubled to score Cerny to make it 5-1 with still one out.

Mathison singled to RF with Tibbitts holding at 3rd and runners on the corners and one out with Oliver up.

Oliver doubled to score Tibbitts and make it 6-1 IU with one out and runners at 2nd and 3rd with Stadler up.

The Boilers went to the bullpen again and brought in RHP CJ Backer with an ERA of 3.68 in 7.1 IP and a WHIP of 1.36.

Stadler singled against his former teammates to make it 7-1 with runners on the corners and one out with the top of the order up.

Taylor Kd for the 2nd out. Pyne hit a two-out single to score Oliver to make it 8-1.

Mitchell flied out to end the inning:

End of 6th: IU 8 PU 1

 

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7th inning:

T7th:

Buhr faced the 9 thru 2 hitters and he Kd the leadoff hitter and the top of the order up for Purdue.

Buhr walked the next batter on a full count. A base hit put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out with two of Purdue's better hitters up.

A flyout got the 2nd out with the runner on 2nd taking 3rd and runners at the corners.

A liner to Mitchell in RF retired the side with no damage done.

B7th:

It was the bottom of the order up with Cerny leading off and IU went down in order.

End of 7th: IU 8 PU 1

 

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8th inning:

T8th:

Buhr faced the 5 thru 7 hitters and he gave up a leadoff homer to make it 8-2 IU.

A single put a runner on with no outs.

IU went to the bullpen and brought in RHP Julian Tonghini with an ERA of 5.28 in 30.2 IP and a WHIP of 1.63. Tonghini got a FC with the lead runner out at 2nd and one out. A K got the 2nd out with the runner still at 2nd.

A two-out single put runners on the corners with two outs. With the top of the order up, Tonghini walked a batter on a 3-1 count to load the bases with two outs, and IU was in danger of letting the Boilers back into this game.

On a play at the plate, the runner was tagged out for the last out, but Purdue challenged the call. The out was confirmed to retire the side while giving up just the leadoff homer.

B8th:

It was the bottom of the order up for IU with Mathison leading off.

Mathison doubled off the wall to lead off with Oliver up. A grounder into the shift got Oliver for the first out with Mathison taking 3rd.

A pop up to shallow RF kept Mathison at 3rd with two outs and the top of the order up in Taylor and Taylor grounded out to end the inning.

End of 8th: IU 8 PU 2

 

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9th inning:

T9th:

Even with a 6-run lead, IU was taking no chances and brought in RHP Jacob Vogel in to close it out with an ERA of 0.43 in 21.0 IP with a WHIP of 0.95 and Vogel has been money out of the bullpen.

In a rarity, Vogel gave up a leadoff solo homer to make it 8-3 IU and it was the first earned run that Vogel had given up in his last 14 innings of relief.

The next batter got an infield single that hit off Vogel's hand with no outs. Vogel then walked the next batter on four pitches to put runners on 1st and 2nds and no outs, and maybe the hit off Vogel's hand had an impact on him.

IU brought in RHP Brayden Risedorph with an ERA of 7.63 in 43.2 IP and a WHIP of 1.56.

Risedorph gave up a three-run homer to the first batter he saw to make it 8-6 and no outs. Risedorph then gave up a single to shallow left and the tying run was at the plate and no outs.

Risedorph got a DP ball to empty the bases and Purdue challenged the call at 1st base in a close play. The out was confirmed for two outs.

Risedorph got a K to end the game and IU advanced in the winners bracket and play the winner of the Neb/OSU game. IU gets the day off tomorrow.

Final: IU 8 Purdue 6

 

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It looked like IU was going to cruise to a win after catching fire at the plate in the middle innings, but Purdue got three homers in the last two innings which accounted for all five runs they scored in the 8th and 9th. Winning that first game is always important in an understatement and by doing so, IU gets a day off while Purdue returns to play tomorrow against the loser of the next game which is Neb/OSU.

IU and Purdue had 13 hits apiece. IU was 13 for 35 for a team average of .371, while Purdue was 13 for 37 and an average of .351. IU had four batters with multiple hits with Oliver having a big day.

Oliver - 3 for 4 with a double and homer and 4 RBIs.

Tibbitts - 2 for 4 with a double and RBI.

Mathison - 2 for 3 with a double and he scored 2 runs.

Mitchell - 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Cerny had a double and an RBI, while Pyne and Stadler had an RBI apiece on singles.

There were no errors in the game.

Bothwell threw a lot of pitches in his 3 IP and he put the leadoff hitter on in 2 of his 3 innings, but he kept the Boilers from plating a run. Buhr has had better outings, but he limited the Boilers to two earned runs over his 4 innings pitched. Tonghini entered with one on and he had the bases loaded in his one inning pitched but left them on base. Vogel had his worst relief outing in his young Hoosier career so far and was hit when a ball went off him for an infield single and he didn't register an out in his short stint. Risedorph came in and surrendered a three-run homer with two of those runs charged to Vogel.

Bothwell - 3-0 IP, 3 hits and no earned runs, 1 K. 1 BB, and 1 hit batter.

Buhr (W) - 4.0 IP, 5 hits to include a double and homer and 2 earned runs, 2 Ks, 1 BB, and 1 hit batter.

Tonghini - 1.0 IP - 1 hit and no earned runs, 1 K, and 1 BB.

Vogel - 0.0 IP - 2 hits to include a homer and 3 earned runs, no Ks, and 1 BB.

Risedorph - 1.0 IP, 2 hits and a homer with an earned run, 1 K and no BBs.

 

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Nebraska didn't go with their No. 1 pitcher tonight in Brett Sears who has an ERA of 2.04 which ranks 4th nationally and he was the B1G Pitcher of the Year. The Huskers trail OSU 6-0 as I post this in the 4th inning, and should the Huskers lose, we will avoid facing Sears in our next game on Thursday.

Update: OSU is destroying Nebraska 11-1 in the 5th and they have the bases loaded with no outs right now. We didn't play OSU during the regular season and I don't know much about their pitching staff although their starter tonight has throttled the Huskers so far.

 

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After the dust had settled on the Tuesday games, here are a couple of items that D1Baseball brought up about the B1G tourney.

— Illinois and Nebraska were considered NCAA tournament locks entering the Big Ten tournament, while Indiana, which beat Purdue on Tuesday, was a bubble out club in our latest projections on Monday. While nothing has changed regarding the Huskers and Illini, Ohio State blasting the Big Red now means that a potential bid stealer — the Buckeyes — are now in the winner’s bracket in Omaha. IU, which won its opener and is on the bubble, also is in a better spot. There’s a long way to go in this tournament, but keep an eye on this development with Bill Mosiello’s club.

— We mentioned in the stolen bid watch section that Indiana won yet another game over Purdue. Well, with the win, the Hoosiers are up six spots in the RPI to 54. Again, the Hoosiers were just out of our projections on Monday, and the climb in RPI is certainly beneficial. The Hoosiers just need to keep winning in Omaha throughout the week to leave no doubt.

Indiana picked up a big win (IU photo)

 

[Bucket Getter]

I lost 50% interest a few weeks ago. That means I watch the games late night instead of live. After watching tonight, it’s incredible how many bizarre plays went into this one. 😂 Matheson should’ve had 2 more jacks.

 

[TomEric4756]

Ohio State handed Nebraska a 15-2 run-rule loss in the nightcap.

The Buckeyes (29-24) batted around in the fourth, scoring eight runs to blow the game open. Leadoff man Trey Lipsey recorded three hits while teammate Matthew Graveline scored three times.

OSU's run total was the most in the tournament since Michigan put 15 on the board against Maryland in 2022. Ohio State has the day off tomorrow before taking on Indiana on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT.

https://bigten.org/base/article/blt92fcb715bff6ddf5/

I think IU got a luck of the draw break, getting Wednesday off, and not facing the Huskers pitching.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

Will one more W do it or two?

 

[TomEric4756]

Will one more W do it or two?

I think IU needs to make the final myself. The series losses to Illinois and Nebraska create an RPI ceiling with an early tourney exit. The Purdue game could have been a de facto elimination with a loss and subsequent losers bracket loss.

 

[Orford]

Not sure we got lucky tbh n not facing Nebraska we can lose to anyone we’ve shown consistently. Osu one of top walking teams in big and our pitchers often get eaten alive by patient and selective hitters. The fact osu put up 15 on neb demonstrates this at least as much as fact Nebraska threw a non weekend starter out perhaps rubbed osu as a snub. Btw I think we beat sears and struggled against the sat pitcher who I would think we would see if we beat osu and Ben beats pu. Hopefully foley is on tomorrow. Finally psu put down Illinois, interesting tourney so far

 

[TomEric4756]

Big splash on Oliver’s HR.

Rosenblatt had the reputation as a hitter’s park.