WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Connor Caskenette, Jo Stevens and Logan Sutter all connected for a 400-foot home run in front of an Alexander Field-record crowd of 2,569 fans as Purdue Baseball rolled to a 15-0 victory vs. DePauw on Wednesday, registering its 30th win of the season.
The Boilermakers (30-15) improved to 14-3 since March 31. They're the first Big Ten Conference team to reach the 30-win plateau this year. Purdue achieved the 30-win mark for the first time since 2018 and did so by May 1 for the first time since the 2012 Big Ten championship season.
Caskenette and Stevens both homered for the third game in a row – hitting four long balls apiece during that stretch. Sutter's grand slam was the Boilermakers' fourth of the season. Purdue has hit 12 home runs in the last three games.
The Boilermakers blew the game open with an 11-run third inning, sending 16 men to the plate. It was their third inning of the season in which they've scored 10 runs or more.
Purdue also won in shutout fashion for the fourth time this season, achieving that feat for the first time since 2018. With five different pitchers taking the mound Wednesday, 10 different Boilermakers have contributed to a shutout on the mound this year. Cole Van Assen retired the final seven batters he faced over three innings of one-hit ball. The freshman gave Purdue at least eight outs while surrendering no more than two runs for the ninth time in his 10 appearances.
Caskenette hit a three-run blast off the videoboard in this first inning, his team-leading 12th home run of the season. He also reached the 60-RBI mark for the season, tying teammate Luke Gaffney for the Big Ten lead. Both players rank sixth on the program's single-season list. Their 120 RBI remain the second most ever by Boilermaker teammates, trailing only Brett Roach and Archi Cianfrocco (134 in 1987).
Stevens hit an opposite-field homer to right center, his eighth of the season, as the second batter of the long bottom of the third. Stevens has an RBI in five consecutive games, as does Caskenette. They've both joined Gaffney as Boilermakers to homer in three straight games this season.
Sutter had two hits in the third inning, punctuated by his towering grand slam on a full-count pitch in his second at-bat of the frame. It was Sutter's eighth homer of the year. Three of Purdue's four grand slams this season have come in the last six home games dating back to April 16.
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 24-game on-base streak; 14-game on-base streak at home
• Camden Gasser – Reached base safely multiple times in 11 consecutive games
• Connor Caskenette – Hit safely, drove in a run, scored a run in 5 consecutive games
• Jo Stevens – 5-game RBI streak
• Keenan Spence – 8-game on-base streak at home
• Ty Gill – 8-game on-base streak at home
• Couper Cornblum – 97 consecutive games started (since start of 2023)
DePauw (21-15) loaded the bases with one out in the first inning but Van Assen induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to escape the jam. It was Purdue's 48th twin killing turned this season. Carter Doorn, Easton Storey and Enas Hayden faced only four batters each in their scoreless innings of relief.
The game ended in the middle of the seventh due to the 10-run rule. It was the Boilermakers' sixth run-rule victory of the season. Purdue has scored 55 runs during its five-game win streak and racked up 130 runs while compiling a 9-2 record in the last 11 games.
The previous attendance record at Alexander Field was 2,369 in an April 2018 win vs. Indiana, coincidentally also a midweek matchup. Next up, the Boilermakers host IU for just the third Big Ten weekend series between the rivals at Alexander since the stadium opened in 2013. First pitch Friday is slated for 6 p.m. ET.
The Boilermakers (30-15) improved to 14-3 since March 31. They're the first Big Ten Conference team to reach the 30-win plateau this year. Purdue achieved the 30-win mark for the first time since 2018 and did so by May 1 for the first time since the 2012 Big Ten championship season.
Caskenette and Stevens both homered for the third game in a row – hitting four long balls apiece during that stretch. Sutter's grand slam was the Boilermakers' fourth of the season. Purdue has hit 12 home runs in the last three games.
The Boilermakers blew the game open with an 11-run third inning, sending 16 men to the plate. It was their third inning of the season in which they've scored 10 runs or more.
Purdue also won in shutout fashion for the fourth time this season, achieving that feat for the first time since 2018. With five different pitchers taking the mound Wednesday, 10 different Boilermakers have contributed to a shutout on the mound this year. Cole Van Assen retired the final seven batters he faced over three innings of one-hit ball. The freshman gave Purdue at least eight outs while surrendering no more than two runs for the ninth time in his 10 appearances.
Caskenette hit a three-run blast off the videoboard in this first inning, his team-leading 12th home run of the season. He also reached the 60-RBI mark for the season, tying teammate Luke Gaffney for the Big Ten lead. Both players rank sixth on the program's single-season list. Their 120 RBI remain the second most ever by Boilermaker teammates, trailing only Brett Roach and Archi Cianfrocco (134 in 1987).
Stevens hit an opposite-field homer to right center, his eighth of the season, as the second batter of the long bottom of the third. Stevens has an RBI in five consecutive games, as does Caskenette. They've both joined Gaffney as Boilermakers to homer in three straight games this season.
Sutter had two hits in the third inning, punctuated by his towering grand slam on a full-count pitch in his second at-bat of the frame. It was Sutter's eighth homer of the year. Three of Purdue's four grand slams this season have come in the last six home games dating back to April 16.
STREAKS EXTENDEDAmazing Crowd tonight on a 75-degree evening at Alexander. #BoilerUp #ThankYouFans 🏟️
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) May 1, 2024
🚂 Join us again this weekend with IU in town. pic.twitter.com/vNtoceOHBn
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 24-game on-base streak; 14-game on-base streak at home
• Camden Gasser – Reached base safely multiple times in 11 consecutive games
• Connor Caskenette – Hit safely, drove in a run, scored a run in 5 consecutive games
• Jo Stevens – 5-game RBI streak
• Keenan Spence – 8-game on-base streak at home
• Ty Gill – 8-game on-base streak at home
• Couper Cornblum – 97 consecutive games started (since start of 2023)
DePauw (21-15) loaded the bases with one out in the first inning but Van Assen induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to escape the jam. It was Purdue's 48th twin killing turned this season. Carter Doorn, Easton Storey and Enas Hayden faced only four batters each in their scoreless innings of relief.
The game ended in the middle of the seventh due to the 10-run rule. It was the Boilermakers' sixth run-rule victory of the season. Purdue has scored 55 runs during its five-game win streak and racked up 130 runs while compiling a 9-2 record in the last 11 games.
The previous attendance record at Alexander Field was 2,369 in an April 2018 win vs. Indiana, coincidentally also a midweek matchup. Next up, the Boilermakers host IU for just the third Big Ten weekend series between the rivals at Alexander since the stadium opened in 2013. First pitch Friday is slated for 6 p.m. ET.
3⃣0⃣ Dubs by #MayDay for the 1st time since that magical Big Ten Championship season 12 years ago. #BoilerUp 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QArNRE1Cv1
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) May 2, 2024