Lafayette Times

Toetz Shines but Purdue Drops 2-1 Pitcher's Duel

Paul Toetz impressed with an RBI triple off the center field wall and two excellent defensive plays on a day in which runs were at a premium, but Akron plated the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to defeat Purdue baseball 2-1 Friday at Ting Stadium.

The game featured three close plays at the plate, two ending in the Zips' favor. Ian Pennington was safe in the top of the ninth as Akron (4-4) capitalized on his leadoff double, manufacturing the go-ahead run with a sac bunt and sac fly. Evan Albrecht was called out on a similar bang-bang play while trying to score on another fly ball to right field in the third inning.

Toetz followed the 50-50 call in the bottom of the third with a rocket off the wall in center field for a two-out RBI triple, giving the Boilermakers (5-4) the lead. Defensively, Toetz made the key relay throw from short right-center field to cut down a runner at the plate to end the top of the fourth. He teamed up with Mike Bolton Jr. and Connor Caskenette for the out as Pennington tried to score from first on a two-out double.

With the game tied 1-1 to begin the sixth inning, Toetz made a diving play in the hole on the right side to rob a leadoff single from the Zips' leadoff man in the lineup. It loomed even larger when a four-pitch walk and pitching changed followed.

Khal Stephen and Akron lefty Sammy Tortorella both pitched well as the Friday starters leading their rotations. Tortorella (1-1) was able to get much deeper in the game, needing only 98 pitches to complete eight innings of five-hit ball. He plunked four batters but only walked one.

The Boilermakers' struggles against lefthanded pitching persisted as they're now 9-for-64 vs southpaws in their five games in Holly Springs and 10-for-71 on the season.

Stephen pitched into the sixth inning, working 5 1/3 innings of four-hit ball in his longest outing as a Boilermaker. He also accounted for Purdue's ninth pickoff of the season. The only run he surrendered came on a solo home run by Michael Sprockett in the fifth inning. Sprockett's line drive to right field in the top of the ninth also produced the game-winning RBI on the sac fly.

Aaron Suval impressed again, giving the Boilermakers nine outs on 32 pitches. He retired the first six batters he faced, including consecutive strikeouts of the 3-4 hitters after taking over for Stephen with a man aboard in the sixth inning. For the season, Suval has surrendered just two hits (both singles) over 9 2/3 innings.

Cal Lambert won a lefty-lefty matchup with runners on second and third to end the eighth inning. But Pennington got the better of another lefty-lefty setting to open the ninth. Akron was aggressive against reliever Jackson Dannelley, who threw only four pitches while retiring all three batters he faced. But a successful sac bunt and Sprockett's line drive to right field were enough to get the go-ahead run home. Right fielder Jake Jarvis made a quality throw to the plate but Purdue was unable to complete the out.

The Boilermakers had runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth inning, but second baseman Kaito Hara made a good play on an in-between short hop near the second base bag to end the threat.

Purdue had a season-high seven stolen bases Friday, matching the third most in program history. Couper Cornblum, Bolton and Albrecht all swiped a pair of bases and each has five steals on the season. Defensively, Caskenette threw out a base stealer to erase a game-opening walk.

Albrecht singled twice to extend his on-base streak to 12 consecutive games dating back to the end of last season.

Original source can be found here.