Rogers Hits Boilers' 4th Slam of Week in Rubber Game Win at MSU

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Brandon Rogers connected for Purdue Baseball’s third grand slam of the series and his second slam of the week, powering a six-run third inning that in turn carried the Boilermakers to an 11-4 victory in Sunday’s rubber game at Michigan State.

Purdue (19-8, 7-5 Big Ten) has won three consecutive Big Ten weekend series for the first time since its team-record 11-game conference win streak in April 2024. The Boilermakers posted their first series win in East Lansing since 2009, snapping a four-game losing streak in rubber games vs. MSU (9-17, 4-8 Big Ten).

Purdue rallied to win a Big Ten series on the road after dropping the opening game for the first time since April 2017 at Ohio State. But it marked the third time this season the Boilers have come back to win two of three on a weekend after losing the first game. The program had not done that three times in a campaign since the Big Ten moved to three-game conference weekends in 2009.

Rogers joined Neal Gorka (April 2006 at Indiana) as Boilermakers this century to hit two grand slams in the same week. Rogers hit the first pitch thrown by reliever Tommy Szczepanski over the left field fence for Purdue’s fourth grand slam of the week and sixth of the season. The six slams are already a single-season team high this century and likely an overall program record.

CJ Richmond hit his second home run of the series in the second inning, another long blast to right center field. The Boilermakers scored 14 of their 30 runs in the series on home runs.

Purdue has posted a double-figure run total in eight of its 12 victories this month, scoring five-plus runs in an inning 10 times.

SERIES LEADERS
• Sam Flores: 6-for-13, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 R, SB – Hit safely in all 3 games
• Avery Moore: 5-for-9, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 2 R
• Brandon Rogers: 5-for-12, 2B, HR, 7 RBI, BB, 2 R, Sac Bunt – Hit safely in all 3 games
• CJ Richmond: 5-for-12, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, BB, HBP, 5 R – Hit safely in all 3 games
• Dylan Drake: 4-for-13, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, HBP, 5 R
• Thomas Howard: 2 App, 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, R, BB, K
• Jake Kramer: 2 App, 2 1/3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
• Jacob Boland: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K
• Cole Van Assen: 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

STREAKS EXTENDED
• Brandon Rogers: 20-game on-base; 9-game hit; 16-game on base in Big Ten play (Since April 27, 2025); 6-game hit in Big Ten play
• Sam Flores: 6-game hit
• Aaron Manias: 6-game on-base

Sam Flores continued to be a menace to the opposition with runners in scoring position, connecting for a two-run double with the bases loaded in front of Rogers’ grand slam Sunday. The Boilermakers’ 3-hole hitter is batting a remarkable .618 with RISP this season and is 11-for-16 (.688) in Big Ten play.

Austin Klug (4 IP, 3 R, 2 K) and Thomas Howard (3 1/3 IP, 3 H, R, K) teamed up for 7 1/3 innings of four-run ball while handling the bulk of the game on the mound. Howard (3-1) retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, needing only 28 pitches to get through the three scoreless frames. Jake Kramer retired five of the six batters he faced to close out a victory for the second time in the series and third time this week.

Up 7-3 after three innings, Purdue extended its lead via matching doubles into right center from Eli Anderson and Dylan Drake in consecutive at-bats to open the top of the fourth. Rogers later singled home Drake for his fifth RBI of the day. Westin Boyle delivered an opposite-field RBI double in a two-run seventh inning.

Anderson made the top defensive play of the game, a diving catch on top of the foul line in left field for the final out of the first inning.

The Boilermakers close out their busy stretch of 10 games in 14 days Tuesday at Indiana State. First pitch in Terre Haute is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.