Indiana Baseball Beats Purdue 8-6, Jasen Oliver Stays Hot in Big Ten Tournament First Round

Indiana held off a late Purdue rally on Tuesday to win 8-6 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.

With this win, No. 3 seed Indiana advances to play Thursday at 2 p.m. ET against the winner of Tuesday night's matchup between No. 2 seed Nebraska and No. 7 seed Ohio State. No. 6 seed Purdue will play an elimination game Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET against Nebraska or Ohio State.

Both starting pitchers got off to strong starts in Tuesday's game, as lefty Ty Bothwell gave the Hoosiers three shutout innings. Purdue got on the board first, manufacturing a run in the fourth inning with a bunt from Couper Cornblum and a sacrifice fly from Thomas Green.

But Indiana was quick to respond and did so in a major way. Second baseman Jasen Oliver stayed hot with a three-run home run in the fifth inning to give Indiana a 3-1 lead, his third home run in the last two games.

B5 | Not getting this one 😁

Jolly goes big fly for the lead in Omaha!@jasen_oliver | #IUBase pic.twitter.com/1jpoLT5qbZ
— Indiana Baseball (@IndianaBase) May 21, 2024

Shortstop Tyler Cerny added to the lead with an RBI double in the sixth, which chased Purdue starting pitcher Jordan Morales from the game. Morales held the Hoosiers scoreless in the first four innings, but he ultimately allowed five runs in five innings of work.

Carter Doorn replaced Morales out of the Purdue bullpen, and Indiana jumped on him right away. First baseman Brock Tibbitts and Oliver both doubled off of Doorn to drive in two runs, and Doorn was pulled from the game after just one third of an inning.

CJ Backer came in for Doorn in the sixth, and Indiana immediately extended its lead to 8-1 with RBI singles from catcher Jake Stadler and third baseman Josh Pyne. Three earned runs were credited to Doorn's line, while Backer finished the game with 2.2 scoreless innings.

That effort kept Purdue within striking distance, and the Boilermakers nearly pulled off a massive comeback. They added one run in the eight on a home run from Keenan Spence off Indiana reliever Drew Buhr, and the rally really ignited in the ninth.

With Indiana's Jacob Vogel on the mound, Purdue's Keenan Taylor led off the inning with a solo home run. After a Connor Caskenette single and a Luke Gaffney walk, Indiana pulled Vogel and replaced him with Brayden Risedorph. But Spence belted his second home run of the day, a three-run shot to make it an 8-6 game.

🚀🚀 Spence Blasts Off Again!! And it's a 2-run game in the 9th!!

2nd time this month Spence has gone deep twice & also a robbed HR. #BoilerUp @KeenanSpence32

Exit Velo: 108mph
Launch Angle: 26 Degrees
How Far Did it Fly: 427 Feet to Left Center pic.twitter.com/iQUAAIuqCM
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) May 22, 2024

Risedorph managed to induce a double play and strike out to end the rally, and in turn, the game. After a strong performance from Bothwell, Buhr provided four innings out of the bullpen for Indiana, allowing five hits and two earned runs. Julian Tonghini pitched a scoreless inning, but Vogel was credited with three earned runs without getting an out. Risedorph finished the game, pitching one inning and allowing one run.

Oliver led Indiana with three hits and four RBI, while Tibbitts, Nick Mitchell and Carter Mathison each had two hits. It was a low strikeout game for both sides, with Indiana pitchers striking out five and Purdue's staff striking out four. The in-state rivals played clean defense, too, with no errors in the game.

It's all about surviving and advancing for coach Jeff Mercer and the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament, they'll have a valuable day of rest before taking the field Thursday.

Update that bracket, @jasen_oliver ‼️ pic.twitter.com/1xmHjxnEkV
— Indiana Baseball (@IndianaBase) May 22, 2024

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