In a rivalry almost anything can happen. When it’s IU and Purdue the list of what can happen becomes endless.
The Hoosiers picked up its first series sweep of the season against the Boilermakers this weekend. Rain, hail and heavy winds in game one finished off by a two-hour rain delay and an improbable comeback in game three has the Hoosiers at a season-best four games over .500.
In game one, an explosive seven-run third inning capped off by a bases-clearing 3-RBI double from sophomore outfielder Logan Sowers gave IU a commanding 8-1 lead.
Senior starting pitcher Kyle Hart struggled on the hill after allowing just one run through his first four innings. The usually steady senior was touched for four runs in the fifth including a two-run home run from Big Ten leader Kyle Wood to cut the deficit to just three.
“I thought he competed,” IU Coach Chris Lemonis said. “He got in that one inning and faced two really good hitters and he got beat by them a little bit, but I thought he was good.”
IU took a five-run lead into the ninth as Lemonis handed the ball over to junior closer Jake Kelzer to secure the win for the Hoosiers.
Kelzer was shaky in his appearance, allowing four runs to score but ultimately got the job done as IU scratched out a 10-9 victory.
The bullpen was steady in game two of the series after senior starting pitcher Caleb Baragar tossed five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to begin the game. With a two-run lead, a walk and an error allowed runners on first and second followed by a 2-RBI double from outfielder Kyle Johnson to tie the game.
With the bases loaded sophomore relief pitcher BJ Sabol escaped the jam keeping the game tied 2-2.
Freshman third baseman Luke Miller then came up clutch in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out RBI single scoring Sowers to give IU the lead again.
The bullpen took care of the job the rest of the way. Junior reliever Thomas Belcher tossed 2.1 scoreless innings to close out the game earning his third save of the season.
“Coming off the mound in the eighth I was feeling it and I knew my stuff was on,” Belcher said. “Man, I love beating Purdue. I wasn’t going to pass that up.”
In the series finale, a nearly two-hour rain delay halted the game in the top of the seventh with Purdue leading 5-1.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh Sowers got the momentum going for IU with a triple. The next four batters reached base for IU to tie the game 5-5 as freshman pinch hitter Scotty Bradley knocked a 2-RBI double to give IU the lead.
Purdue responded with one run of its own in the top of the eighth, but the Hoosiers would ultimately prevail. Sowers took a 3-0 fastball up in the zone and drove it beyond the left center wall for his sixth home run of the year. Belcher retired the side in the ninth for the second game in a row to give IU the 7-6 victory.
“Lemo said before we got out here that you can’t hit a five-run home run, just try to put something in the opposite field gap,” Sowers said. “The sweep is huge, momentum-wise knowing we can do this three days in a row.”
