Purdue Sports Update: Feb. 19

Baseball Sweeps Stephen F. Austin To Open Season

Baseball batted around twice in the first three innings – hitting for the cycle in a five-run bottom of the first – and rode the early lead to a 16-12 victory vs. Stephen F. Austin  on Sunday to complete a four-game series sweep.

The Boilermakers opened the season 4-0 for the second time in the last four years. They’re now 14-2 at Constellation Field while playing at Triple-A stadium near Houston for the opening weekend of each of the last four seasons.

Purdue carried a 12-1 lead into the fourth inning, but SFA did not quietly – outscoring the Boilermakers 11-4 over the final six innings. The Lumberjacks brought the tying run to the plate while loading the bases with two outs in the ninth inning.

Purdue’s 2024 regular-season finale vs. Illinois also featured a combined 28 runs. Sunday’s game represented the highest combined run total in a Boilermaker victory since a 16-15 final vs. Indiana in April 2022. Coincidentally, Friday’s season-opening doubleheader featured only a combined 11 runs.

Purdue scored six times in the first inning and kept scoring while pounding out five doubles on the night, rolling past Stephen F. Austin 14-2 Saturday to clinch a series victory in the four-game set.

For the third game in a row, Purdue’s starting pitcher was not charged with an earned run. Easton Storey gave up just three hits over 4 1/3 innings in the sophomore’s first start (and longest outing) as a Boilermaker. Purdue pitchers have surrendered only five runs (one earned) over the first 27 innings of the series. Limiting SFA to two extra-base hits and five walks has helped key the opening-weekend success.

Logan Sutter, Avery Moore and Lukas Cook all had three RBI for the Boilermakers (3-0). Back from the elbow injury that sidelined him for all of 2024, Cook connected for a pair of RBI doubles. Moore barreled up for a two-out, two-run double to right center in his at-bat as the big blow of the six-run first inning when Purdue sent 10 men to the plate.

Michael Vallone rolled through a 15-up, 15-down stretch in game one and Cole Van Assen gave the Boilermakers a quality start in the nightcap, leading the way as Purdue surrendered just one earned run on the day in Friday’s Opening Day doubleheader sweep of Stephen F. Austin.

The Boilermakers (2-0) won game one 4-1 and scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to take the nightcap 4-2. Purdue improved to 6-0 in season openers under head coach Greg Goff and has now won eight of its last nine openers dating back to 2017. Friday marked the first time since 2018 that the Boilers swept a doubleheader on Opening Day.

Logan Sutter, who was named Big Ten player of the week,  registered an RBI in the eighth inning of both games, connecting for Purdue’s first home run of the season to extend the lead in game one and driving in the go-ahead run in the nightcap with a two-out RBI single. Sutter started both games at first base and made the top defensive play of the day, a diving stop behind the bag to prevent a likely one-out double with game one tied 1-1 in the seventh inning.

The Boilermakers are back in action Friday when they open a four-game series vs. Niagara, a 2024 NCAA Regional qualifier as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament champion, at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, N.C.

Purdue Drops Barn Burner Trophy Game at Indiana

The women’s basketball team fell 78-56 in the Barn Burner Trophy Game on Saturday at Indiana.

The Boilermakers (9-16, 2-12) were led by Kendall Puryear’s 15-point, eight-rebound performance. Destini Lombard connected twice from the outside to finish with 10 points, her 16th double-figure outing of the year.

Purdue went 42% from the field and made six 3-pointers. Sophie Swanson knocked down a pair of outside shots for her ninth multi-triple game of the season.

McKenna Layden posted a career-high 10 rebounds, all on the defensive end, as Purdue won the battle on the boards 30-29.

Purdue could not overcome a 20-2 start by the Hoosiers (16-9, 8-6) in the first quarter and trailed 48-22 at the break.

The Boilermakers won the second half 34-30, shooting 48% from the field, while holding Indiana to a 39% clip. Eight of Purdue’s 12 second-half field goals were assisted.

The Boilermakers outscored the Hoosiers 23-19 in the third quarter, rolling off a 13-point run and keeping Indiana off the board for 3:12 midway through the frame. Rashunda Jones, Reagan Bass and Puryear each scored five points in the period.

The two clubs matched scoring output in the fourth quarter 11-11.

The Hoosiers were led by Sydney Parrish’s 19 points, as the hosts posted an even 50% shooting clip on the afternoon. Yarden Garzon went for 18 points and eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will return to Mackey Arena on Wednesday night for the Fight Like A Boilermaker Pinkout against Minnesota at 7 p.m. on B1G+. Fans can bid for Purdue’s game-worn pink uniforms with all proceeds going to Purdue Institute for Cancer Research.

Purdue’s Under-Par Final Round Highlighted by Sugiyama’s 67

Women’s Golf finished the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational strong, firing a 3-under 285 as a team for the third-best final round at Palm Aire Country Club on Monday. Senior Momo Sugiyama led the way, carding a bogey-free 67 (-5) that matched the best round of her career.

Despite shaving 15 and 17 strokes, respectively, off their opening two rounds, the Boilermakers (+23) finished in 13th place due to the difficult Sunday. Purdue made 15 birdies through the first 36 holes of the tournament before draining 20 during Monday’s final round. Only No. 22 Michigan State (-12) and No. 25 Ohio State (-4) recorded better final rounds than the Boilermakers, as the two ended the 54-hole tournament at 4-under par. The Spartans claimed the team title thanks to the fifth player tiebreaker.

Sugiyama’s career day featured five birdies and 13 pars, including a trio of birdies on par 5s. Following three pars to start her morning, the senior made consecutive birdies to begin the front side. She added another birdie at the par-5 eighth to return to the back nine at 3-under. Closing out her round, Sugiyama made back-to-back birdies again to tie her best round as a Boilermaker. She ended the tournament at 5-over, good for 30th alongside teammates Jasmine Kahler and Lauren Timpf. The low round was Sugiyama’s 11th round in the 60s as a Boilermaker, the eighth player in program history to reach that mark. The Australian also became the 10th Boilermaker to record multiple rounds of 67-or-better over her Purdue career.

After pacing Purdue through the first two rounds, Kahler and Timpf carded 73s (+1) to tie Sugiyama on the final leaderboard. Kahler matched Sugiyama with a team-high five birdies, but a double bogey on her final hole prevented the sophomore from posting an under-par round. Timpf made four birdies of her own, but like Kahler, a big number stopped her from reaching red figures. After a triple bogey on the par-4 third, Timpf finished strong by going 2-under on her last 11 holes.

Samantha Brown used four birdies to combat four bogeys on her way to an even-par 72, her best round of the tournament. The freshman’s final round was highlighted by three birdies through the first six holes on the front side. She birdied the par-5 first before back-to-back birdies on the par-3 fifth and the par-4 sixth. Her 72 was a four-stroke improvement from her opening two rounds.

Up next, Purdue returns to the Briar’s Creek Invitational on Johns Island, South Carolina (March 10-11).

Softball Finishes Joan Joyce Classic with Four Wins

The Boilermakers defeated Louisville (6-3) 9-3 to close out day three of the Joan Joyce Classic. The Boilermakers finished the weekend 4-1.

Moriah Polar went 4-for-4 on the day with three RBI, while Madi Elish went the full seven innings, moving to 3-1 after the victory.

The Boilermakers swept day two of the Joan Joyce Classic, defeating NC State (5-3) 7-0, and Dartmouth (0-3) 9-6.

Alivia Meeks hit her second home run of the year, the second of her career, while Madi Elish pitched a complete game shutout in the victory over NC State. Sage Scarmardo went 3-for-4 in the win over Dartmouth.

The Boilermakers (3-5) split a pair of games on the first day of the Joan Joyce Classic in Boca Raton. Purdue took a 13-3 victory over Dartmouth (0-1), while falling 7-3 to NC State (4-2).

Julia Gossett hit her first home run of the year against Dartmouth, while Moriah Polar tripled against NC State. Kyndall Bailey had four hits on the day with two RBI.

UP NEXT

Purdue will head to Birmingham, Ala. for the Green and Gold Classic hosted by UAB. The first game is slated for 9:00 a.m. on Feb. 22 against Belmont. 

Women’s Tennis Wins Pair

The women’s tennis squad (6-1) secured its fourth consecutive victory with a 4-2 victory over Tulsa (8-3) in the non-conference season finale. 

Milic and Guevara were tied with the No. 18 doubles pair in the country (Maria Berlanga Bandera / Lily Hutchings), 4-4 and were up, 15-love in the next game. The Boilermakers were making a comeback after an early 0-2 deficit, but were unable to complete the match after Purdue’s No. 2 and No. 3 doubles parings fell.

Freshman Ece Gencer was the first to finish in singles, evening the match, 1-1 following a pair of 6-2 victories at the No. 5 position. Purdue took the lead with No. 6 singles Tara Katarina Milic’s 6-4, 6-2 win. However, after Tulsa tied the dual after a win at the No. 2 position, Purdue’s Carmen Gallardo Guevara earned the team’s go-ahead point with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win.

Playing to clinch with Juana Larranaga and Ida Clement still in play, Larranaga sealed Purdue’s victory behind a 7-5 Set 1 tiebreak victory and 6-4 win. Clement’s 6-2, 3-6, 4-4 match went unfinished. Larranaga’s match-clinching win marked the second match this season she’s produced the winner (last: Purdue’s 4-3 victory vs. Xavier on 1/31).

The victory marked the end of non-conference action. The Boilermakers will host the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten-opener next Sunday, February 23 at 11 a.m. ET.

Coming off a bye week, Purdue picked up where it left off, earning a win on Basham Courts at the Schwartz Tennis Facility. The Boilermakers took down the DePaul Blue Demons, 4-1.

With the win, Purdue improves to a 5-1 record, including its second straight in comeback fashion, while DePaul falls to 4-4. Additionally, Purdue’s victory marked the 11th all-time against DePaul (11-2 overall series record).

After the Blue Demons took the doubles point, freshman Ece Gencer evened the score, 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-0 win at the No. 5 singles position. Ida Clement gave Purdue the go-ahead point as she finished her court with a 6-2, 6-2 results at the No. 3 singles position.

Juana Larranaga clinched Purdue’s victory at the No. 4 singles position behind 6-2, 6-4 decisions.

The No. 1 and No. 2 singles of Carmen Gallardo Guevara and Fatima Gutierrez went unfinished, locked in a pair of tied battles. Gallardo Guevara fell in Set 1 and was tied, 6-6, in Set 2 while Gutierrez nearly had a Set 1 bagel, but DePaul came back to force the Boilermaker to win in tiebreaker fashion, 7-6 (0).

Lifetime Bests Highlight Racing at Ohio State Winter Invite

As 10 of Purdue’s men’s swimmers raced at the Ohio State Winter Invitational, freshman Chris Bartmess added his name to the program’s all-time leaderboard in the 100 breaststroke while posting the team’s second-fastest time this season.

Bartmess moved into 14th place in team history with a time of 53.90 in the prelims of the 100 breast. He also went 53.43 on his 100 breast leg as part of Purdue’s 400 medley relay team. While his time of 53.90 was just shy of his lifetime best (53.78) as the 2024 Indiana state champion in the 100 breast for South Bend Riley High School, it was the program’s top all-time mark of the weekend in Columbus.

Seven Boilermakers registered a lifetime best in an event that would be contested individually at the Big Ten or NCAA Championships. Freshman Gage Johnson led the way with three such times.

The Ohio State Winter Invite has historically featured more of a time trials focus even while featuring a full invitational style meet schedule.

Selected Boilers that raced in Columbus will have an opportunity to compete again at the Big Ten Championships, set for Feb. 26-March 1 in Columbus.

Boilermakers Have Strong Final Indoor Regular Season Meet

Indoor Track & Field wrapped up the regular season at the Music City Classic and Tiger Paw Invitational on Saturday. The women’s DMR’s victory in Nashville and Cameron Miller and Antoine Spencer’s top four 200m finishes highlighted the final day.

Men’s Notes
• Miller ran 20.42 in the 200m to finish third at the Tiger Paw Invitational and fell 0.02 seconds shy of his own program record. Miller finished the regular season with victories in four of his five individual events.
• Spencer’s 20.68 finished fourth in the 200m and moved him up from eighth to third in program history. He moved up to 11th in the country as he continues to fight for a spot in the NCAA Championships.
• The men’s 4x400m relay team of Spencer, Jahn Riley, Miller and Connor Czajkowski ran 3:07.14 for a season best and third fastest time in program history. It broke the previous mark of 3:07.54 set on Jan. 11 in Louisville, Ky.
• In Nashville, the men’s DMR of Caleb Williams, Zach Mylenek, Hugh Jacobsmeyer and Nathaniel Getachew ran 9:50.14 to move into the NCAA top 20.

Women’s Notes
• The women’s DMR of Lauren Pegher, Bryanna Craig, Julia Economou and Payne Turney went 11:24.09 to win the event at the Music City Challenge. The time puts Purdue top 20 in the country.
• Alexia Smith ran a personal-best 23.75 in the 200m to finish seventh in the purple section of the 200m. It moved her up to seventh in program history after she previously ranked 10th (23.99).
• Zoe Sullivan entered back into the program’s 200m top 10 at No. 9 after she ran 23.87. She was in the rankings earlier in the season at 24.07 before Smith ran her 23.99.
• The women’s 4x400m team of Smith, Alyssa Tate, Mirai Bernard and Gia Clay ran 3:36.14 to enter the program rankings at No. 8.

Thoughts From Head Coach Tony Miller
“I thought the team competed hard. I think we have to continue taking that next steps as we head into Big Tens and NCAA Championships. Our distance team did really well to compete in Nashville and we had some good competition here [Clemson] that really helped push us to the next level that we need to see.”

Next Up
Purdue has a weekend off before the Big Ten Indoor Championships from Feb. 28-March 1 in Indianapolis, Ind.

Wresting top Terps with 3 Bonus Point Wins

Purdue earned a 23-14 win over Maryland on Friday night in Holloway Gymnasium.

Three Purdue wrestlers earned bonus points as the Boilermakers (10-5, 3-4 B1G) won six of the 10 matches.

The Terrapins (8-10, 3-5 B1G) entered the matchup ranked No. 27 in the InterMat rankings while the Boilers held the No. 26 spot.

Redshirt senior Matt Ramos, the consensus No. 1 wrestler in the country at 125 pounds, did what he’s done all season in starting the dual off with a fast-paced technical fall, giving Purdue a 5-0 lead.

Beating Tyler Garvin 17-1 in just 3:29, it was Ramos’ 13th tech fall of the season, tied for most in the nation by any wrestler.

Ramos added three takedowns and two four-point near-falls to his season tally. With one match left in the regular season, he has still not given up a single takedown all year.

No. 27 Greyson Clark picked up another decision victory to get back in the win column, defeating Dario Lemus 9-4 at 141 lbs.

After falling behind 3-0 early, the grappler from Wrightstown, Wisconsin, took control of his match and went on a 9-1 run, logging a takedown, a four-point near-fall and an escape.

After not having competed since Feb. 1 at Illinois, No. 7 Joey Blaze (157 lbs) returned and put on a show in his home gym.

The sophomore tied the highest score by any Boilermaker all season, winning 21-6 (4:25) over Kevin Schork.

Blaze registered a career-high seven takedowns, which is the most by any Purdue wrestler in a single match all season.

With the Old Gold & Black ahead 13-6 at the intermission, Stoney Buell picked up where the team left off with an 8-1 decision over Alex Uryniak that never felt close.

The team captain logged over four minutes of riding time along with two takedowns and an escape.

Wrestling at No. 25 in the country, 174-pounder Brody Baumann beat Branson John, 7-6, in a rematch from this season’s Tiger Style Invitational.

Similar to the first matchup between the two, which ended 11-10 in Baumann’s favor, it once again came down to the very end. The redshirt sophomore took a 7-2 lead before John fought back with an escape and a takedown of his own.

But Baumann held on for the three-point decision, putting the Terps in a 19-6 hole with three matches left.

After Maryland’s No. 11 Jaxon Smith beat Orlando Cruz via tech fall to bring the Terps within eight, No. 27 Ben Vanadia put the dual away for good at 197 pounds.

Purdue’s leader in third-period points this season, Vanadia dominated a 10-1 major decision over Jack Darrah. He recorded three takedowns and 3:59 of riding time to secure the team win, giving the Boilers their most wins in a season since 2021-22.

UP NEXT

Purdue will wrap its regular season with one final home contest next Sunday, hosting No. 5 Nebraska on Senior Night.

Ramos and Christian White will be honored as the only seniors on the team.

The dual will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET with a national broadcast available on Big Ten Network.