Series Recap: Indiana takes series over rival Purdue in final home weekend

In a weekend filled with emotion, execution, and a touch of history, Indiana Baseball closed out its 2025 home schedule by taking two of three from in-state rival Purdue at Bart Kaufman Field.

Behind dominant pitching on Friday, missed opportunities on Saturday, and an offensive outburst on Sunday, the Hoosiers (29-22, 14-13 B1G) secured their third straight series win over the Boilermakers and kept themselves firmly in the driver’s seat for a Big Ten Tournament berth.

Senior left-hander Ryan Kraft set the tone with a masterful performance in Friday’s shutout, while Sunday’s rubber match saw Indiana reach a program milestone with its 2,500th win.

Though Saturday’s loss showed some of the team’s offensive inconsistency, the series as a whole offered a strong display of the Hoosiers’ potential heading into the final week of the regular season.

Here’s how the weekend unfolded in Bloomington.

Hoosiers blank Boilermakers in series opener behind Ryan Kraft’s masterclass

If Friday night was indeed Ryan Kraft’s final start on the mound at Bart Kaufman Field, the senior lefty made sure it would be remembered.

In a vintage performance, Kraft tossed seven scoreless innings to lead Indiana to a dominant 8-0 shutout win over Purdue in the series opener.

Kraft didn’t overpower the Boilermakers with strikeouts — he only had four — but he commanded the zone, pitched to contact, and trusted the defense behind him to handle the rest.

He threw just 85 pitches to record 21 outs, the longest outing by any IU pitcher this season. Graduate Cole Gilley and redshirt junior Pete Haas took care of the final two innings to finish off Indiana’s first Big Ten shutout since 2023 and its first against Purdue in over a decade.

The offense backed Kraft with an unselfish approach. Indiana leaned into small ball, using three bunt singles and a sacrifice bunt to manufacture runs.

Freshman Cooper Malamazian drove in IU’s first three runs of the night and was one of four Hoosiers to post a multi-hit game. The Hoosiers were patient at the plate as well, drawing eight walks and consistently putting pressure on Purdue’s pitching.

Indiana scored in just three innings, but each time they put up crooked numbers — including three more in the eighth to put things out of reach.

The Hoosiers’ efficient night at the plate and on the mound gave them the early series edge.

MORE: Ryan Kraft delivers farewell gem for Indiana in win over Purdue

Indiana comes up short in Saturday setback

One swing. That’s all Indiana seemed to need for much of Saturday afternoon, but the big hit never came as the Hoosiers fell to Purdue, 5-1, in game two of the weekend series at Bart Kaufman Field.

Freshman Cooper Malamazian continued his strong weekend with an RBI single in the second to put IU ahead early, but that would be the lone highlight for the Hoosier offense.

Sophomore catcher T.J. Schuyler nearly made it a much bigger inning, launching a ball to the warning track in left-center that came up just short of the wall — and just short of changing the game with a three-run homer.

The pivotal moment came in the fifth, when redshirt sophomore Korbyn Dickerson roped a ball to deep right that bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. Instead of bringing home the tying run, Devin Taylor was forced to hold at third, and Purdue capitalized.

A pitching change, a strikeout, and a groundout later, the Boilermakers escaped the jam and shut the door on Indiana’s best chance to rally.

On the mound, Ben Grable and Gavin Seebold were solid, combining to allow just five runs — only four earned — across nine innings while striking out 11. But the offense couldn’t get going.

Indiana managed just seven hits, six of them singles, and failed to put together a late push as Purdue evened the series.

Freshman Jake Hanley was a bright spot, posting a three-hit day to continue his standout debut season.

Still, the Hoosiers couldn’t find the timely hit when it mattered most, setting up a decisive rubber match on Sunday afternoon in the home finale.

Indiana hammers Purdue behind an offensive explosion

On Sunday, the Hoosiers exploded for a 14-4, run-rule victory over Purdue in seven innings to take the weekend series and notch the 2,500th win in program history.

Indiana capitalized early on Purdue’s lack of control, scoring six runs on just one hit in the first two innings thanks to 13 free passes issued by Boilermaker pitching.

Redshirt sophomore Korbyn Dickerson made the visitors pay in a big way, launching a three-run homer that cleared the left-field bullpen to break the game open.

From there, the offense found its rhythm. Freshman Cooper Malamazian added a pair of RBIs with a double in the fifth and a single in the seventh, while fellow freshman Jake Hanley delivered a two-run knock in the final frame.

Malamazian’s RBI single in the seventh capped a six-run inning and ended the game via run rule.

On the mound, graduate right-hander Cole Gilley was sharp in a bounce-back start. Pitching on short rest after a Friday relief appearance, he went six innings and didn’t allow an earned run.

Aydan Decker-Petty faced just one batter in relief but got the job done, inducing a double play to quash Purdue’s final threat.

Sunday’s win marked Indiana’s third consecutive series victory over Purdue and improved the Hoosiers to 22-9 against their in-state rivals since 2014.

It also likely marked the final home appearance for key players like juniors Devin Taylor and Tyler Cerny, as well as Dickerson.

The Hoosiers now turn their attention to the road, with four games remaining before a likely return to the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha.

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