Anderson Delivers with Bases Loaded as Boilers Rally for Win

OMAHA, Neb. – Eli Anderson delivered a go-ahead, two-run single with the bases loaded in the eighth inning as Purdue Baseball extended its season with a 3-1 victory vs. Illinois on Wednesday in the first elimination game of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Boilermakers (36-19) posted their first victory at the Big Ten Tournament since also beating Illinois in the semifinals in 2018. Purdue had not won a loser’s bracket game since 2010.

The Boilermakers will play Iowa on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET for the opportunity to advance to the single-elimination knockout round and square off with top-seeded UCLA. It will be the fourth matchup with the Hawkeyes in a week's time.

For the 21st time this season, Purdue won a game in which it trailed at some point. The Boilermakers came back to win for the fourth time when trailing after seven innings. It was also their seventh victory in their last at-bat, three of those being since May 8.

Purdue was victorious despite recording a season-low three hits, facing a second-team All-Big Ten starting pitcher – freshman lefty Aidan Flinn – for the second day in a row. But Zach Erdman helped keep the Boilers in it with a quality start (6 IP, 5 H, BB, 4 K) of his own, surrendering two earned or fewer for the eighth time in his 15 outings this season. Thomas Howard and Jake Kramer backed up Erdman with three scoreless innings of relief, teaming up to retire nine of 10 batters faced.

Kramer struck out a pair in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his 10th save, becoming the sixth Boilermaker to record a double-figure total in a season. Howard (6-0) joined Cole Van Assen and Austin Klug with six victories this season.

Purdue’s pitching staff posted eight zeros in a game for the 14th time this season, with three of those wins coming against Illinois. The Boilermakers have surrendered one run in a game seven times this year. Four of those victories were started by Erdman.

Purdue had had only three base runners against Flinn entering the eighth inning. Quincy Malbrough was sent up to pinch hit with one out in the frame. After going down in the count 0-2, he worked it back even and got hit in the foot by a pitch. Dylan Drake was also plunked on the second pitch of his subsequent at-bat. A five-pitch walk to Westin Boyle loaded the bases as Flinn hit the 100-pitch mark for the day.

Illinois (28-27) went to the bullpen before Flinn could face Anderson for a fourth time. Anderson won a lefty-lefty matchup with reliever Reed Gannon, hitting a hot shot just a few inches under Gannon’s glove and up the middle for the go-ahead single.

Boyle went first to third on the play and the extra 90 feet allowed him to score when Brandon Rogers executed a squeeze bunt on the first pitch of his at-bat.

Boyle hit a double down the right field line in his first at-bat, connecting for the lone extra-base hit of the game. His 15 two-baggers equals the second most by a Purdue freshman. But Flinn (1-3) retired all nine batters in order his second time through the lineup. The Illini then took the lead on an RBI single from cleanup man AJ Putty in the top of the sixth.

The Boilermakers’ 36 wins are tied for fifth most in team history, matching the 1982, 1987 and 1993 teams. Purdue ended a six-game losing streak in Big Ten Tournament games dating back to the 2018 championship game.

STREAKS EXTENDED
• Dylan Drake: 12-game on-base; 11-game on-base vs Big Ten teams