These last two weeks have not been particularly good for Purdue baseball and softball. There have been multiple obstacles, from steep competition to bad weather. However, neither team is performing at their potential, and that is something that should ideally change before conference play begins.

Baseball Results:

3/10: FINAL—#4 Mississippi 15, Purdue 7

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Purdue	0	0	0	3	0	3	1	0	0	7	8	1
#4 Mississippi	4	4	1	0	0	1	5	0	X	15	14	0

W: Dougherty (2-1) L: Stephen (1-1)

This game got very ugly almost as soon as it started, and while Purdue made efforts to get the game closer, it was never enough. The Mississippi bats were rolling almost as soon as the game started, utilizing mostly base hits to score eight runs in the first two innings and drive Khal Stephen from the game. Another run in the bottom of the third put the Rebel lead at nine, and there was legitimate concern that Purdue was going to get run ruled. However, the offense started doing some damage against Mississippi pitchers to make the game closer. With three runs in the fourth inning and three more in the sixth, the lead had been cut to three. However, Purdue’s bullpen couldn’t continue to contain Mississippi, and they pushed insurance runs across in the late innings. The comeback was too little and too late, but at least Purdue didn’t just lie down and wait for the game to end. Jake Jarvis blasted a three-run home run to put Purdue on the scoreboard, while CJ Valdez smacked three hits, including a home run, scored three runs, and drove in two Boilermakers.

3/11: FINAL—#4 Mississippi 7, Purdue 6 (10 innings)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Purdue	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	6	6	0
#4 Mississippi	2	0	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	1X	7	9	2

W: Nichols (1-0) L: Dannelley (1-1)

Purdue got really close to its best win since 2006, but they just couldn’t finish the job. The Rebels drove home a couple of runs in the first inning, but Purdue roared back with four runs in the top of the second. This gave Purdue the lead, but it didn’t last long. A Mississippi home run tied the game in the bottom of the third, and another one put the Rebels in front in the fourth. After a couple of quiet innings, another Mississippi home run put them ahead 6-4, but the Boilermakers would reawaken offensively shortly afterward and managed a couple of runs to tie the game in the top of the eighth. Mississippi didn’t manage anything in the bottom of the innings, and while the Rebels got a man on third in the bottom of the ninth, that runner got stranded. The game was going to extra innings, and anything can happen at this stage. Unfortunately, what actually happened was a walkoff home run in the bottom of the tenth to win the game for Mississippi. Aaron Suval did a pretty good job of handling the Rebel bats in the second half of the game, allowing two hits, three walks, and one run in almost four innings of work. Meanwhile, Paul Toetz blasted a three-run home run to put Purdue ahead in the second inning, and Jo Stevens smacked another dinger to bring Purdue within one as the only Boilermaker to get multiple hits.

3/12: FINAL—#4 Mississippi 6, Purdue 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Purdue	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	9	0
#4 Mississippi	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	3	X	6	8	1

W: Rivas (4-0) L: Iwinski (1-1)

The Boilermakers had their chances to steal a win in the series finale, but they just couldn’t execute when they needed to. Unlike the first two games, Purdue held Mississippi off the scoreboard in the first inning, and they drew first blood with a run in the top of the second. The Rebels countered this quickly with single runs in the second and third innings, and then the game got pretty quiet. Both teams had a pretty good opportunity for a breakthrough in the fifth inning, but the inning was completed without any changes to the score. The Rebels finally started cashing in with a run in the sixth and then three more in the eighth, while Purdue’s number on the scoreboard remained stagnant for the remainder of the game. While Purdue only managed one run in the finale, they certainly had opportunities, outhitting Mississippi and drawing six walks. The problem was that Purdue stranded fourteen runners over the course of the game, so clutch hitting was entirely absent on this day. As a whole, it was not particularly easy to determine leaders, but since I have to pick, I’ll go with Kyle Iwinski, who managed to hold Mississippi to a mere two runs over five innings of work despite allowing four hits and five walks, and Connor Caskenette, who smacked multiple hits and delivered Purdue’s lone RBI of the day.

3/15: FINAL—Purdue 14, Northern Illinois 5

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Northern Illinois	0	0	0	1	0	4	0	0	0	5	8	1
Purdue	0	4	0	5	0	0	5	0	X	14	12	1

W: Stephen (2-1) L: Lutes (0-1)

It was a pretty cold day for Purdue’s home opener, but the Boilermaker bats were certainly warm enough. After the first inning went by without any scoring, Purdue rolled off four runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead, and they would hold that lead for the remainder of the game. The Huskies got one run back in the top of the fourth, but the Boilermakers promptly scored five runs in the bottom half of the inning, and from there the game was in cruise control. Northern Illinois did get four runs in the sixth inning, but Purdue just scored five more in the seventh to prevent any whiff of a comeback. Purdue only scored in three of the eight innings where they batted, but they did enough damage in each of them to take this game pretty handily. There were plenty of offensive stars for Purdue today, such as Paul Toetz with three hits and four RBIs, Evan Albrecht with multiple hits, runs, and RBIs, and Jake Jarvis with a grand slam and one additional run.

3/17: FINAL—Evansville 5, Purdue 2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Purdue	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	0
Evansville	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	X	5	7	0

W: Smith (2-3) L: Suval (2-1) SV: Hardman (1)

Purdue’s bad luck on St. Patrick’s Day continues with a loss in the series opener. According to a tidbit from Purdue’s athletics department, Purdue’s baseball team is 5-14 on this particular day since 2000, with a good chunk of those losses coming against mid-major opponents. The starting pitching for this game went poorly, as Evansville got plenty of baserunners early in the game, and while many of them did get stranded, enough scored to give the Purple Aces an early lead. The Boilermakers managed a couple of runs early in the game, but the hitting stalled out after the third inning. Even though things calmed down in the second half of the game, Purdue just couldn’t jumpstart anything to mount a comeback. The combination of Davis Pratt, Cal Lambert, and CJ Backer did their part to keep Purdue in the game, holding Evansville to three hits, four walks, and one run over the last five innings where Evansville batted. Paul Toetz drove in both Boilermaker runs in this game.

3/18: CANCELLED

Due to the temperature in the Evansville area hanging around the freezing point all day and the wind chill dropping into the low twenties, the teams were unable to play on Saturday.

3/19: FINAL—Evansville 6, Purdue 4

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Purdue	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4	8	1
Evansville	0	0	2	0	1	0	1	2	X	6	10	1

W: Schultz (3-1) L: Blackwell (2-1)

The Boilermaker pitchers could not keep Evansville’s hitters in the ballpark, and that cost Purdue dearly. After a couple of quiet innings, the Purple Aces scored two runs on a home run in the third and another on a solo shot in the fifth. Meanwhile, Purdue’s hitters could not figure out Donovan Schultz and did not mount any resistance for the first half of the game. The Boilermaker offense finally started figuring things out in the last three innings, but Purdue’s relievers couldn’t hold down Evansville over that time. It's not totally fair to only blame the pitchers though, as Purdue had multiple additional offensive opportunities late in the game that they didn’t capitalize on. Connor Caskenette had multiple hits, a walk, a run, and a run batted in, while Ty Gill smacked a pinch hit two-run double to bring the game within two.

Softball Results:

3/10: CANCELLED

Due to heavy rain in the Long Beach and Fullerton areas causing difficulties with the field conditions, Purdue’s first game against Brown in the Louisville Slugger Invitational was cancelled.

CANCELLED

There was a second scheduled game for Friday at Cal State Fullerton, but that game was also put on the chopping block.

3/11: CANCELLED

The bad weather continued, so Purdue also had their game against Weber State cancelled. The second game they were supposed to play on Saturday was moved to Sunday.

3/12: FINAL—Long Beach State 8, Purdue 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Purdue	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3
Long Beach State	2	4	1	0	0	1	X	8	13	0

W: Fernandez (1-3) L: Echazarreta (4-6)

Except for maybe the very first part of the game, this was just an ugly game from beginning to end. Purdue gave up over two hits per inning and finished the game with more errors than hits. That meant that half of the Long Beach State runs in this game were unearned. It is possible that momentum was lost by the long rain delay, but you would hope that Purdue would be more focused. After a couple of outs, Alex Echazarreta mashed a home run over the left field wall to put the Boilermakers in front by a 1-0 score in the first inning. That was just about the extent of positive news for Purdue, as Long Beach State retaliated with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, added four more in the second inning and another in the third, and didn’t look backward. Meanwhile, Purdue had a total of one hit after that home run for the whole rest of the game.

FINAL—Sacramento State 6, Purdue 0

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Purdue	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Sacramento State	1	0	0	0	3	2	X	6	9	1

W: Bertuccio (7-3) L: Wimpee (3-2)

The Boilermakers continued to look flat and lethargic as they dropped their final game of the weekend. However, for a brief moment, it looked like Purdue could be generating some offense early in the game. The first four Purdue at bats were a single, a single, a sacrificed bunt, and a walk. This left the bases loaded with one out and an opportunity for Purdue to take an early lead. Instead, the next two batters lined out and flew out, and Purdue would never get that close again. While the Hornets managed one run in the bottom of the first, Purdue’s pitching recovered and held the line for a while. Unfortunately, it all caved in later, with Sacramento State scoring three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth. If you take out most of the fifth inning, Mo Wimpee had a pretty good start for Purdue. She finished with a stat line of seven hits and four runs allowed in almost five innings of work while walking one and striking out three.

3/15: FINAL—Purdue 2, North Dakota State 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
North Dakota State	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	4	0
Purdue	0	0	0	0	1	1	X	2	7	0

W: Echazarreta (5-6) L: Lyle (6-5)

At first, it certainly looked like Purdue’s offensive malaise from the past weekend was carrying over into this game and would cost the Boilermakers here. However, the combination of a strong pitching performance and just enough hitting pushed the Boilermakers to a win. On paper, the first half of the game was quite quiet and dominated by the pitchers. However, both teams had a couple of opportunities, but clutch hitting proved elusive. The Bison would be the first to score with an RBI single in the top of the fifth. However, Purdue responded quickly with runs in the fifth and sixth innings, while Alex Echazarreta cleaned up any remaining resistance. Echazarreta pitched for the full game, and she would hold the Bison to four hits, one walk, and one run. She would also help herself out with a solo home run to put Purdue ahead. Meanwhile, Jordyn Ramos had her first three-hit day as a Boilermaker.

FINAL—Mississippi State 5, Purdue 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Purdue	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	1
Mississippi State	0	0	0	3	2	0	X	5	5	0

W: Beuerlein (3-0) L: Pinarski (1-1)

I don’t get it. Going into the Louisville Slugger Invite weekend, Purdue had been held below three runs since a game 2/16 game at Campbell. This is the fourth straight game that Purdue hasn’t managed three runs. Since Alex Echazarreta had just pitched a complete game, Coach De Oliveira dug into the bullpen for this game, and it first it was working. The Bulldogs were held off the scoreboard for the first three innings, but Purdue couldn’t do anything offensively to take advantage. In the bottom of the fourth, the pitching began to lose control, and Mississippi State pushed three runs across home plate. Purdue did manage to score once in the top of the fifth inning, but the Bulldogs quickly countered with two more in the bottom half. Purdue couldn’t muster any further threats, and that score became final. Clearly, there is work to be done in the batting cages, but I wonder how much can be finished before the next tournament starts. Kendall Klochack did a nice job locking down the Mississippi State offense near the end of the game, holding them without any baserunners in their last four batters. Meanwhile, Olivia McFadden produced the only Purdue offense with a solo home run in the fifth inning.

3/16: FINAL—North Dakota State 4, Purdue 0

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
North Dakota State	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	4	8	0
Purdue	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0

W: Vargas (8-5) L: Pinarski (1-2)

Well, it appears as though Purdue was not able to do enough work in the batting cages to avoid another offensive disappearance, and it cost them the first game of the Rebel Invitational. The Bison drew first blood in this game with a couple of early runs, and Purdue didn’t have a quick response. The next couple of innings were quiet, but North Dakota State managed single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to build on their lead. A key part of this was using stolen bases to move runners along, as Purdue did not contain the North Dakota State speed game. At the same time, Purdue’s offense was still stuck in neutral, struggling to even put runners on base in the second half of the game. After the first inning, Purdue’s pitching staff put forth a solid effort to keep the Boilermakers in the game, but it just wasn’t enough. As in the previous game, Kendall Klochack finished by facing five batters and sending all of them packing, while Jade Moy had the only multi-hit game and smacked one of Purdue’s two extra-base hits.

FINAL—Purdue 3, Samford 0

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Purdue	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	3	6	0
Samford	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2

W: Wimpee (4-2) L: Bond (3-3)

A staunch pitching effort set up Purdue with a golden opportunity, and the hitting did enough for the Boilermakers to win this game. After going nine straight innings without scoring a run and failing to score a run in thirteen of the last fourteen innings, Purdue managed to draw first blood in this game with one run in the opening inning. Even though the pitching wouldn’t need further help, the Bulldogs gifted the Boilermakers one run in the top of the third and another in the top of the sixth for some extra insurance. However, the pitching would be the main story as Purdue completed their sixth shutout win of the season. Mo Wimpee was the star of the show in this game, pitching the complete game and giving up a mere four hits and two walks while striking out three. Olivia McFadden had a multi-hit day and Purdue’s only RBI.

3/17: FINAL—Purdue 6, St. Thomas 2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
St. Thomas	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	8	5
Purdue	0	0	3	3	0	0	X	6	9	0

W: Klochack (1-0) L: Murphy (0-7)

I’ve got to say: it feels nice to win a game where you are reasonably confident in the outcome. The Tommies made five errors and made multiple outs on the basepaths to help out, but Purdue also had their most complete offensive performance since at least the Carolina Classic. The first couple of innings were dominated by the pitchers, with neither side having a great scoring chance. After snuffing out St. Thomas’s effort in the top of the third, Purdue used their speed and timely hitting to put three runs on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning. They added to their lead with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth scored in a somewhat similar manner. St. Thomas would make a dent in the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth, but that was their only somewhat serious threat. Kendall Klochack put together a fine start, giving up eight hits but limiting the damage to two runs while striking out six over six innings of work. On the offensive side, Jordyn Ramos finished with a pair of runs and RBIs, while Olivia McFadden had a pair of hits and RBIs.

FINAL—Mississippi 8, Purdue 0 (5 innings)

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H	E
Purdue	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Mississippi	4	1	0	0	3X	8	10	0

W: Vestal (4-1) L: Echazarreta (5-7)

Were the past couple of wins due to actual improvement or due to a drop in the quality of opponent? I’m not sure how much can be attributed to each explanation, but what I know is that when Purdue faced another SEC team on the road, they got boatraced. This game was never particularly close: other than one walk, Purdue went out harmlessly in the top of the first inning, and then Mississippi scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Things calmed down a bit after that, as the Rebels were held to a total of one run in the next three innings, but Purdue could not generate any offense to stave off the threat of being run-ruled. The pitching started to break down again in the fifth inning, and that was the opening the Rebels used to finish the game early. After things broke down in the first inning, Madi Elish did a decent job of calming things down, at least for a while. She would finish with six hits, two walks, and four runs allowed in almost five innings of work while striking out four.

3/18: FINAL—Mississippi 12, Purdue 2 (5 innings)

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H	E
Purdue	0	0	0	1	1	2	3	2
Mississippi	7	2	2	1	X	12	7	2

W: Kliethermes (5-4) L: Pinarski (1-3)

Okay, I really thought that Purdue was past this. Purdue faced down a top-ten Florida State squad at their ballpark in the first weekend of the season, and while they didn’t look super competitive, they at least played out a full seven innings. While Central Florida isn’t ranked as of the writing of this column, they were ranked when Purdue played them, and the Boilermakers kept that road game within three runs. So why are they getting stomped by a Mississippi squad that isn’t even receiving votes in the USA Today poll? The start of this game was even uglier than the start of last game, with Purdue giving up seven runs in the bottom of the first to stare at a huge hole almost as soon as the game started. The Rebels piled on with two runs in both the second and third innings while Purdue didn’t find any semblance of a response. The Boilermakers finally started scoring in the fourth inning, but it was too little and too late. Mississippi scored in every inning in which they batted, and didn’t even need a fifth-inning outburst to end the game this time. With Big Ten play right around the corner, something needs to get fixed. There is a sliver of positive news: the two teams that show up in the USA Today softball rankings, Northwestern and Maryland, are absent from Purdue’s list of conference opponents for 2023. There is still the opportunity for a successful season as long as Purdue can escape the malaise of the past couple of weeks.

Key Leaders:

Baseball:

Connor Caskenette: 6-12, 2B, 2R, 2RBI, 3BB, 2HBP, SB

Paul Toetz: 8-23, 2 2B, HR, 4R, 9RBI, 5BB, SB

CJ Backer: 19/3 IP, 4H, 3R, 2ER, 3BB, 5K

Softball:

Jordyn Ramos: 8-21, 2R, 3RBI, BB, 3SB

Mo Wimpee: 16IP, 19H, 10R, 10ER, 5BB, 9K, W

Kendall Klochack: 9IP, 8H, 3R, 2ER, 3BB, 6K, W

Upcoming Action:

Baseball:

3/21: vs Illinois-Chicago

3/24 – 3/26: @Michigan State for three

3/28: @Indiana State

3/31 – 4/2: vs Northwestern for three

As it was last year, conference play was going to be the real test for Purdue, and that starts in earnest over this coming weekend. Based on current results, Michigan State could be somewhat challenging, but Purdue should totally outclass Northwestern. I would say that both of these series are fairly winnable, but the Boilermakers are going to have to provide a bit more offense than they have recently.

Softball:

3/21: vs Indiana State for two

3/24 – 3/26: @Nebraska for three

3/29: vs Indiana for two

3/31 – 4/1: @Rutgers for three

What kind of Boilermaker squad are we going to get in these next couple of weeks? There isn’t much room for catching breath because there are ten games in the next two weeks, some of which are considered fairly crucial for proving that the softball team can reliably be considered in the middle of the conference. Indiana State really does not scare me, so this should be a good indicator of how well the Boilermakers have recovered. The next eight games are all against Big Ten teams, so this is where that recovery will be necessary. Can Purdue beat Big Ten teams on the road?