IU beats Purdue 6-0

Before the IU offense recorded an out, the Hoosiers had given enough run support for senior starter Joey DeNato.

“Guys enjoy playing behind Joey,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “Because they have confidence in him.”

For the first time since 2010, IU defeated Purdue. Behind 14 hits and another strong performance from DeNato, the No. 15 Hoosiers (30-12, 14-2) defeated Purdue (12-30, 5-11) in the game one of the three game stint 6-0.

“It’s really nice to get those early runs for our pitching staff,” DeNato said.

The Hoosiers offense got started early. Second basemen Casey Rodrigue led things off with a double to left, and Kyle Schwarber singled through the middle to score Rodrigue.

Without an out recorded, IU had taken a 1-0 lead, which was more than enough for DeNato. His final line: 7 innings pitched, 5 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts, 0 runs on 100 pitches.

The last eight games DeNato has started, he’s won them all. The senior stands at 10-1 on the year with a 1.89 ERA. No other Big Ten pitcher has more than six wins on the year.

“The kid’s a winner,” Smith said of DeNato. “I’d give him the ball any day of the week.”

DeNato holds the all-time IU record career wins, strikeouts and innings pitched. He’s also been lights out at home this season. In four starts at Bart Kaufman Field, DeNato is 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA.

His catcher for three years, Schwarber, said he always loves catching DeNato. He always knows what he’s getting from his consistent starter.

“It’s always something special when you go out and catch him,” Schwarber said. “You know it’s gonna be around the zone.”

Schwarber, named a first-team All-American last year, had a proficient day at the plate. He went 4-for-5 and raised his batting average to .355 on the year.

He joined three other Hoosiers who had multiple hits. The Purdue starter, Connor Podkul, was knocked around by the IU bats and lasted only three innings while giving up 8 hits and 5 runs – all of them earned.

“He was throwing his curve ball a lot, and he was just leaving it up,” left fielder Brad Hartong said. “That was what our hitters were hitting – the curveball.”

Game two of the series will start at 2:00 tomorrow. Christian Morris will get the start for IU.