5 Homers Power Purdue's 14 Unanswered Runs in Win at UMD

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Dylan Drake connected for a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning, the most significant of Purdue Baseball’s five homers as the Boilermakers reeled off 14 unanswered runs to defeat Maryland 16-5 Friday.

Purdue (11-5, 2-2 Big Ten) overcame a 4-2 deficit entering the fifth inning, blowing the game open with a snowman (8-spot) on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth.

Brandon Rogers, Ross Highfill, Ali Banks and Sam Flores joined Drake as Boilermakers to go deep. Highfill led off the top of the seventh with a game-tying blast to center field. Banks, Drake and Highfill all hit their first homers for Purdue. Flores went deep for the third game in a row and for the fourth time in the last five games.

The Boilermakers blasted a Maryland (10-7, 0-1 Big Ten) team that was 5-0 at home entering the night, scoring a combined 77 runs in those five games. Purdue starter Cole Van Assen retired the final seven batters he faced during his third trip through the UMD lineup, working a season-high six innings of four-run ball on a night in which the wind was blowing out to left field. Thomas Howard impressed again as the first Boilermaker out of the bullpen, retiring six of the seven batters he faced. He likely would have had an opportunity to close out the win, but Purdue opted not to send him back to the mound after batting for more than 30 minutes as part of its eight-run ninth inning.

FRIDAY NOTABLES
• The Boilermakers hit five home runs for the first time since tying the program record with six in an April 2024 win at Northwestern. Five different Purdue players also homered in that victory. It was the program’s third five-homer game during head coach Greg Goff’s tenure (2020-present).
• Dylan Drake connected for the Boilers’ second grand slam of the season. Jake Parr (May 2021) was the last Purdue player whose first home run was a grand slam.
• Drake hit the grand slam off UMD’s top relief pitcher, Logan Hastings. Entering the night, the righthander had conceded just two runs on 10 hits in 18 2/3 innings this season. He had not surrendered a home run.
• Purdue has scored 33 runs over the last two games, its most in consecutive games since racking up 34 in home wins vs. Michigan State (21-1) and Ball State (13-3) in April 2024.
• The Boilermakers have scored at least four runs in a frame five times over the last two games, accounting for 27 of the 33 runs as part of the extended rallies. They have posted big innings featuring eight, six, five and four (twice) runs. The eight-run inning was Purdue’s most prolific since also posting a snowman on the board in a home win vs. Ball State in May of last season.
• Purdue improved to 4-1 on Fridays at Maryland in its five trips to College Park since UMD joined the Big Ten in time for the 2014-15 school year.

STREAKS EXTENDED
• Brandon Rogers: 10-game on-base; 9-game on-base in Big Ten play (since April 27, 2025)
• Aaron Manias: 7-game on-base

Flores and Rogers both delivered an RBI double in their first at-bats of the night, helping Purdue score in the first two innings. Flores finished the night 3-for-5 with three RBI and Rogers was 2-for-4 with three RBI, scoring a combined four runs. Banks and Flores both went deep in the eight-run ninth inning.

Rogers made a diving catch in center field to end the third inning and led off the top of the fifth with his first home run of the season.

Aaron Manias drew a leadoff walk in the eighth inning to help set the stage for Drake’s grand slam. Flores followed with a single and CJ Richmond battled back from a 1-2 count to draw a walk to load the bases. Hastings left a breaking ball up in the zone and Drake hit it over the batter’s eye in center field.

Van Assen, Howard and Noah Filer teamed up to keep UMD without a hit for 17 consecutive plate appearances from the final out of the fourth inning until a two-out RBI single in the ninth snapped the streak. Van Assen and Howard retired 11 straight batters during that stretch. The 2-3-4-5 portion of the Terps’ lineup was a combined 0-for-13 with three walks (all to 3-hole hitter Ryan Costello) and an RBI groundout.

Howard has surrendered only seven hits over 13 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his six relief appearances. The lone run came on a solo homer in last week’s 2-1 victory vs. Oregon.

The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.