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MINNEAPOLIS – With four doubles and another quality outing from pitcher Trent Johnson, Purdue baseball had its chances. But failing to capitalize on a pair of leadoff doubles over the first five innings proved fatal in a 5-1 loss to No. 14 Duke on Friday at the CambriaCollegeClassic.
The Blue Devils (8-1) won their eighth straight game while snapping the Boilermakers' five-game win streak.
Johnson matched Duke ace Bryce Jarvis over the first five innings. An unearned gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead entering the sixth inning. Duke blew it open with a four-run rally in the frame, recording three two-strike hits in the big inning.
Mason Gavre's RBI double in the top of the seventh ended a consecutive scoreless innings streak for Jarvis at 15. The right-hander threw a perfect game vs. Cornell last Friday.
Skyler Hunter, Miles Simington and Zac Fascia also connected for doubles against Duke's ace. Hunter beat the shift with a chopper down the third base line to start the game, recording his 35th career two-bagger. Simington lined a hot shot off the first base bag to open the fifth inning. Both runners did not advance past second base.
Consecutive one-out singles from Tyler Powers and Hunter in the third inning produced another scoring opportunity for Purdue (6-2). Kyle LaPlante followed with a successful bunt, but Powers was thrown out at the plate when the Boilermakers tried to steal a run. Duke survived off-target throws to both first base and the plate on the play. First baseman Matt Mervis had to leave his feet to snare a high throw. He not only came down on the bag, but quickly got the ball to the plate. Jarvis covered and made a nice pick on a throw in the dirt, tagging out Powers on a close play.
Jarvis (2-1) went on to retire 10 of the next 12. Simington and Fascia doubled during that stretch, but the third inning was the only frame of the day in which Purdue had multiple runners on base at the same time.
Ben Nisle made the top defensive play of the day, a leaping catch on the warning track to take away a one-out double in the second inning. Powers also made a nice play at second to turn an RBI single into an RBI ground out in the third inning when Duke went up 1-0.
Friday was the first game of the season in which the Boilermakers did not hold the lead. Their streak of eight consecutive games with at least a four-run inning came to an end. Nisle (7 straight with a run scored) and Evan Albrecht (6 straight with an RBI) also saw their season-opening streaks come to an end.
Johnson (1-1) struck out six over five-plus innings. Two of the three runs he was charged with scored after he left the mound in the sixth inning.
As Purdue's catcher, Fascia threw out runners at second base in the first and seventh innings. He helped Kyle Wade work two innings of hitless relief. Wade retired all five batters he faced against the 3 through 7 portion of the lineup.
The Boilermakers take on No. 8 NC State on Saturday at noon ET.
MINNEAPOLIS – With four doubles and another quality outing from pitcher Trent Johnson, Purdue baseball had its chances. But failing to capitalize on a pair of leadoff doubles over the first five innings proved fatal in a 5-1 loss to No. 14 Duke on Friday at the CambriaCollegeClassic.
The Blue Devils (8-1) won their eighth straight game while snapping the Boilermakers' five-game win streak.
Johnson matched Duke ace Bryce Jarvis over the first five innings. An unearned gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead entering the sixth inning. Duke blew it open with a four-run rally in the frame, recording three two-strike hits in the big inning.
Mason Gavre's RBI double in the top of the seventh ended a consecutive scoreless innings streak for Jarvis at 15. The right-hander threw a perfect game vs. Cornell last Friday.
Skyler Hunter, Miles Simington and Zac Fascia also connected for doubles against Duke's ace. Hunter beat the shift with a chopper down the third base line to start the game, recording his 35th career two-bagger. Simington lined a hot shot off the first base bag to open the fifth inning. Both runners did not advance past second base.
Consecutive one-out singles from Tyler Powers and Hunter in the third inning produced another scoring opportunity for Purdue (6-2). Kyle LaPlante followed with a successful bunt, but Powers was thrown out at the plate when the Boilermakers tried to steal a run. Duke survived off-target throws to both first base and the plate on the play. First baseman Matt Mervis had to leave his feet to snare a high throw. He not only came down on the bag, but quickly got the ball to the plate. Jarvis covered and made a nice pick on a throw in the dirt, tagging out Powers on a close play.
Jarvis (2-1) went on to retire 10 of the next 12. Simington and Fascia doubled during that stretch, but the third inning was the only frame of the day in which Purdue had multiple runners on base at the same time.
Ben Nisle made the top defensive play of the day, a leaping catch on the warning track to take away a one-out double in the second inning. Powers also made a nice play at second to turn an RBI single into an RBI ground out in the third inning when Duke went up 1-0.
Friday was the first game of the season in which the Boilermakers did not hold the lead. Their streak of eight consecutive games with at least a four-run inning came to an end. Nisle (7 straight with a run scored) and Evan Albrecht (6 straight with an RBI) also saw their season-opening streaks come to an end.
Johnson (1-1) struck out six over five-plus innings. Two of the three runs he was charged with scored after he left the mound in the sixth inning.
As Purdue's catcher, Fascia threw out runners at second base in the first and seventh innings. He helped Kyle Wade work two innings of hitless relief. Wade retired all five batters he faced against the 3 through 7 portion of the lineup.
The Boilermakers take on No. 8 NC State on Saturday at noon ET.