Brooms Again: Boilers Complete Sweep of Buckeyes

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Austin Klug took a shutout into the seventh inning for the second Sunday in a row, pitching Purdue Baseball to a 6-2 victory Sunday at Alexander Field that completed a three-game sweep of Ohio State.

The Boilermakers (28-11, 15-6 Big Ten) posted their seventh straight win in Big Ten play while also winning  for the 10th time in their last 11 conference games. Purdue has swept Northwestern and OSU (19-19, 9-9 Big Ten) over back-to-back weekends, registering consecutive series sweeps for the first time since reeling off three in a row during the program-record 11-game Big Ten win streak in April 2024.

The Boilermakers swept a series vs. Ohio State for the first time since May 1987, breaking out the brooms against an OSU team that entered the weekend having won eight of its last nine in Big Ten play.

Purdue improved to 19-6 since March 10, winning all six of its Big Ten series during that stretch.

The Boilermakers scored in the first inning for the third day in a row and held the lead at the end of the final 26 innings of the series. The Buckeyes’ only lead of any kind was 1-0 after the top of the first Friday; Purdue tied it the bottom half of the frame and did not trail again at any point for the rest of the weekend.

Jackson Bessette homered for the second day in a row, extending the Boilers’ lead to 3-0 with a leadoff blast in the seventh inning. Quincy Malbrough blew the game open the following frame with three-run double.

Klug (6-1) struck out four over six-plus shutout innings in his finest performance at Alexander Field in his two seasons as a Boilermaker. He retired eight consecutive batters from the fourth through sixth innings, a stretch that began with the first of two 6-3 double plays turned by shortstop Westin Boyle. Klug is unscored upon in the last 12 innings in which he was physically on the mound. He was charged with two runs after handing the ball off to the bullpen in the seventh inning last Sunday in a win at Northwestern.

Avery Moore delivered an RBI single to plate Eli Anderson in the first inning, hitting safely and driving in a run in all three games of the series while extending his hit streak to nine consecutive games. The right fielder also registered his second outfield assist of the series, teaming up with Boyle and third baseman Sam Flores to cut down Ellis Lee at third base for the final out of the second inning.

STREAKS EXTENDED
• Eli Anderson: 15-game hit at home
• Avery Moore: 14-game on-base; 9-game hit; 13-game on-base in Big Ten play; 8-game on-base at home; 7-game hit in Big Ten play; 6-game hit at home
• Sam Flores: 13-game on-base in Big Ten play
• Quincy Malbrough: 10-game-hit; 10-game on-base at home; 9-game hit at home; 8-game hit in Big Ten play
• Westin Boyle: 9-game on-base; 7-game hit; 7-game hit in Big Ten play; 6-game on-base at home
• Zach Zychowski: 6-game on-base in Big Ten play
• CJ Richmond: 5-game on-base at home

SERIES LEADERS
• Sam Flores: 5-for-9, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, HBP, Sac Fly, 2 SB; scored a run in all 3 games
• Avery Moore: 5-for-11, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 4 R; hit safely & drove in a run in all 3 games
• Zach Zychowski: 5-for-11, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, HBP, 2 R, 10 defensive assists
• Eli Anderson: 5-for-12, 2B, 4 RBI, BB, 5 R, Sac Bunt, 3 SB; hit safely & scored a run in all 3 games
• Quincy Malbrough: 5-for-12, 2B, 6 RBI, HBP, 2 R, SB
• Jackson Bessette: 3-for-13, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, SB

Both of the 6-3 double plays by Boyle helped squash any potential momentum for the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s first two batters reached base safely to begin the fourth inning but Klug rolled up the ground ball and Boyle turned the chopper near the second base bag into a pair of outs. Three innings later, Graham Kollen got two outs with the first pitch he threw in relief of Klug. It was a more impressive individual defensive effort from Boyle while eliminating the leadoff base runner.

Kollen went on to retire all five batters he faced while putting two zeros on the board. The grad transfer worked 5 1/3 innings of shutout relief over three appearances this week, surrendering just two singles.

Boyle and Zach Zychowski teamed up to create Purdue’s second run of the day. Boyle reached on a hustle double into short left center and Zychowski followed with an RBI single up the middle. Zychowski contributed an RBI single in his first at-bat on both Saturday and Sunday while racking up five hits over the final two games of the series. He also doubled into the right field corner in the fifth inning Sunday.

Ohio State broke up the shutout with back-to-back home runs from its 3-hole and cleanup hitters with one out in the ninth inning. Noah Furcht and Dane Harvey also went back-to-back in the fifth inning Friday.

The Boilermakers close out their five-game homestand Tuesday with a midweek rematch vs. Indiana State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET as a $3 midweek matchup ($3 beers, hot dogs, popcorn).