Rogers, Swiderski Star as Boilers Score 18 in Wild Win

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Brandon Rogers and Trey Swiderski hit back-to-back home runs in the first of Purdue Baseball’s two six-run innings and Swiderski later robbed a home run, leading the Boilermakers to a wild 18-13 victory vs. UIC on Wednesday at Alexander Field.

Purdue (17-7) closed out its six-game homestand with a 5-1 record, winning games by margins of 2-1 and 3-2 as well as 12-7 and 18-13. The 18 runs Wednesday matched a season high and were the Boilers’ most at Alexander Field since also scoring 18 in an April 2024 win vs. East Tennessee State. Purdue has won eight of its last 10 games overall.

Both teams’ 7-hole hitters connected for a pair of home runs and finished with six RBI. Rogers hit a grand slam high off the videoboard in the first inning and a two-run shot to center field in the bottom of the seventh with the Boilers leading by only a run. Both long balls were estimated at well over 400 feet.

Ashton Kampa hit two-run homers in the third and fourth innings. He would have had a third two-run shot if not for Swiderski’s leaping catch at the right field wall in the top of the sixth.

In a game that featured a combined seven home runs, both teams’ leading home run hitters – UIC’s Jake Busson (9th) and Purdue’s Sam Flores (7th) – also contributed to that total with a solo shot apiece.

WEDNESDAY NOTABLES
• The game’s 31 combined runs matched the most ever at Alexander Field, which debuted in 2013. There were also 31 runs scored in Purdue’s home wins vs. Northern Illinois (17-14) and Indiana (16-15) in April 2022.
• At four hours and 28 minutes in length, the midweek slugfest goes down as the longest nine-inning game in the Purdue record book. The Boilermakers and Flames also played a 14-hour marathon on March 20, 2024 at Alexander – a game that took five hours and three minutes to complete.
• Both teams used eight pitchers. Gavin Beuter (3 IP) was the only one to record more than five outs.
• There were only six scoreless half innings of the 17 total. UIC scored in five consecutive innings from the second through the sixth.
• Brandon Rogers joined Aaron Manias as Boilermakers with a multi-homer game this season, both coming over the last week at Alexander.
• Rogers and Trey Swiderski hit Purdue’s first set of back-to-back homers since the Boilermakers hit three in a row on March 1 last season. Rogers was also part of that trifecta. The 2024 home finale marked the last time Purdue went back-to-back at Alexander.
• Swiderski hit his first career home run at Alexander.

The Boilermakers led 6-0 after an inning but found themselves in a 10-7 hole entering the bottom of the fifth. They seized control of the game again by sending 12 men to the plate in their second six-run frame of the day. The second big inning did not feature a home run. Instead, it was powered by a stretch in which nine of 10 batters enjoyed a productive plate appearance.

The key play of that sequence was a two-out ground ball to second base off the bat of Flores. Colin Husko was playing in short right field against the lefthanded hitting Flores. Husko fielded cleanly but was nonchalant on the throw to first, allowing Flores to beat it out for a two-out infield hit that gave the Boilermakers the lead back. It loomed even larger when Aaron Manias followed with an RBI double and CJ Richmond delivered an RBI single in his second trip to the dish of the frame.

Instead of Purdue tying the game at 10-10 with a three-run frame, Flores’ hustle helped make it a 13-10 lead for the home team. The Boilermakers did not trail the rest of the day.

Eli Anderson’s two-run double with the bases loaded was the other big hit of the six-run fifth inning. Dylan Drake and Anderson both extended their hit streaks Wednesday, Drake doing so with a base hit in his final at-bat. That single helped ignite a two-run rally, a pair of insurance tallies that made the top of the ninth a bit less frantic after UIC loaded the bases with two outs.

STREAKS EXTENDED
• Brandon Rogers: 17-game on-base; 12-game on-base at home (since May 3, 2025); 6-game hit; 5-game hit at home
• Westin Boyle: 11-game on-base; 8-game on-base at home
• Dylan Drake: 10-game hit; 7-game hit at home
• Eli Anderson: 7-game hit; 7-game hit at home

Jacob Boland retired four of the first five batters he faced to help Purdue get to the finish line. Boland looked poised to close out the win for his first save of the season, but Kampa singled with two outs and Husko was hit by a pitch to reach base safely for the sixth time – leading to the bases-loaded setting. Thomas Howard came on for the final out of the marathon, earning his first save as a Boilermaker.  He’s the fifth Purdue pitcher with a save this season.

Purdue is back in action Friday when it opens a three-game Big Ten series at Michigan State. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

HOMESTAND LEADERS
• Eli Anderson: 14-for-28, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 8 R, 3 SB
• Aaron Manias: 10-for-20, 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 7 R, Sac Fly
• Dylan Drake: 11-for-23, 4 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 2 HBP, 4 R, 2 Sac Flies
• Brandon Rogers: 9-for-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 HBP, 6 R, 2 SB
• Sam Flores: 10-for-23, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 4 BB, HBP, 9 R, SB
• Jacob Boland: 4 App, 7 2/3 IP, 6 H, R, 4 BB, 6 K
• Jake Kramer: 3 App, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
• Thomas Howard: 3 App, 5 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 2 K