Box Score

                Purdue scored 10 times in the seventh inning on the way to a 15-0 victory over Valparaiso on Wednesday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind.

                The Crusaders committed six errors defensively and the Boilermakers tallied 20 hits on the afternoon.

                Valpo had an early opportunity to take the lead as Matt Lenski (Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette University H.S.) and Zach Rodeghero (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic H.S.) singled to put runners on the corners with just one out.  Purdue starter Matt Morgan worked out of the jam, striking out two straight to end the threat.

                The Boilermakers threatened in the second, loading the bases with just one out.  Jon Gulbransen (Appleton, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran H.S.) worked out of the situation inducing a strikeout and a groundout to keep the game scoreless.

                Purdue did find the scoreboard in the third, as Ben Wolgamot and Ryne White reached with one out.  Following a double-steal, a groundout by Dan Black put the Boilermakers on top 1-0.

                An unearned run with two outs in the fourth increased the Purdue lead to 2-0 as Brandon Haveman singled to left, but the throw to third trying to gun down runner Nick Overmyer went into the dugout, allowing him to score.  White added to the lead in the fifth leading off the inning with a homer to rightfield.

                Another RBI groundout, this time off of the bat of Haveman, increased the Boilermakers advantage to 4-0 in the sixth.

                A seven-run seventh inning broke the game open for Purdue as the Boilermakers sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 10 times.  Dan Black led off the inning with a homer and Wolgamot had a three-run triple in the frame. 

                The Boilermakers added another unearned run in the eighth to close out the scoring.

                Lenski was on the only Crusader on the afternoon to record more than one hit, doubling in the eighth for his second tally on the day as Valpo was limited to just five hits on the day, and only three after the opening inning.

                Morgan earned the win (1-0) for the Boilermakers working 4.2 innings while striking out five.  Purdue (7-11) hurlers struck out nine Valpo hitters on the afternoon.

                Gulbransen suffered the loss (0-4), allowing six hits and two earned runs in five innings of work.

                “We were in the game for six innings and then we fell apart,” head coach Tracy Woodson said.  “We were fundamentally poor.”

                Valparaiso (5-16) will open the home portion of the 2008 season on Friday afternoon as the Crusaders begin a three-game Horizon League series with Cleveland State.  First pitch at Emory G. Bauer Field is set for 3 p.m. with all the action carried live on sportsjuice.com.