Purdue Sports Update: March 25

Softball’s Win Streak Ends in Series Loss to Ducks

The Boilers fell 2-1 to No. 18 Oregon in the series finale on Sunday at Bittinger Stadium.

Hits were hard to come by in the pitcher’s duel between Julia Gossett and Lyndsey Grein, with just seven total in the game.

Despite Gossett pitching a perfect game through four innings, Oregon earned three of their four hits in the final frame to earn the victory. 

The top of the first brought three-straight pop-ups to shortstop for the Ducks, before the Boilers also went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

The second inning continued in its efficiency with the Ducks going down in order once again, while the Boilers worked a leadoff walk from Haley Painter, eventually stranding her. 

Gossett retired 12-straight Oregon batters before Oregon finally broke through, delivering the first hit of the game for either team in the top of the fifth. On the next play, an Oregon runner attempted to steal second, but after a Purdue challenge, the runner was called out for leaving early.

Oregon put pressure on in the top of the sixth putting two runners on before Gossett worked a huge strikeout, earning the second out of the inning. The frame ended with a long flyout to center, leaving two on base for the Ducks.

The game saw its first run in the bottom of the sixth on a one-out double by Moriah Polar to score Khloe Banks who had notched the Boilers first hit of the game earlier in the inning. 

In the top of the seventh, the Ducks made use of their last at-bats, scoring two runs on three hits. 

Down to their final three outs, Gossett came in to pinch hit, earning a one-out double, but was caught on her way to third. The Boilers were unable to come up with one run down to the final out and ultimately fell 2-1 in the series finale. 

Purdue took down No. 18 Oregon at home to even the series and earn their first upset victory of the year.

The Boilers tallied nine hits and played a perfect defensive game to defeat the Ducks, 7–4, at Bittinger Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Moriah Polar, Anna Moore, and Haley Painter each recorded a pair of RBIs, while Ashlynn Campbell went 3-for-3 against three different Oregon pitchers.

After a scoreless opening frame, the Boilers got on the board first, beginning with a leadoff single from Khloe Banks. Painter then came through with a two-out triple down the right-field line to drive in the first run for Purdue. 

In the bottom of the second, Purdue applied pressure again, putting two runners aboard on back-to-back walks with just one away. Campbell then loaded the bases with a single before the nation’s hits leader, Polar, delivered a two-run single. The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Moore, then followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-0.

The Ducks threatened in the third, putting a runner on who advanced into scoring position on a passed ball and a single. Perez held strong, inducing a groundout to end the inning.

Oregon broke through in the fourth, scoring a run on a fielder’s choice, but Purdue fought back in the bottom of the inning plating two runs on two hits. 

The inning began with Campbell earning her second hit of the day, narrowly sliding in safely at second for a double. Campbell then moved to third on a flyout from Banks. With a runner on third, the Ducks chose to intentionally walk Polar, bringing up Moore who added her second RBI of the day on a fielder’s choice. 

Painter came up in the clutch again with a two-out RBI double to extend the Boilers out to a 6-1 lead.

Oregon chipped away in the top of the fifth adding one more run, but Perez worked out of the jam again with a flyout to left.

The Boilers did not stop with the pressure, plating another run in the bottom of the fifth on Campbell’s third hit of the day. The Ducks came right back in the top of the sixth, adding two runs on three hits, closing the deficit.

 The softball team’s historic 14-game win streak comes to an end with a 6-0 defeat against No. 18 Oregon. 

The Boilers made three errors leading to five unearned runs which created a hefty deficit early on for Purdue. The Boilers had four hits, with two of them coming from the national leader, Moriah Polar.

After a leadoff groundout in the top of the first, the Ducks put three runners on with a single, a walk, and another single. The Boilers then worked their way out of the bases-loaded jam when Gossett struck out back-to-back batters to end the frame.

In the second, Purdue put pressure on the Ducks when Polar, singled with one away. Haley Painter then followed suit with a two-out double down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position. Just as the Boilers did in the top of the inning, the Ducks worked out of the jam.

In the second, Purdue once again shut down the Ducks, working around a pair of walks to keep it scoreless.

Purdue continued to put pressure on in the bottom of the inning, putting two runners on when Delaney Reefe was hit by a pitch and moved over on a single to right-center from Kylie Franks. Ashlynn Campbell moved both runners to second and third on a groundout, but the inning ended in a strikeout. 

In the top of the third, the Ducks broke through plating three runs. The first two runs scored on an error from the Boilers which would have ended the inning. The third runner came around on an RBI single on the next play. 

The Boilers earned a leadoff single by Polar in the bottom of the third, her second hit on the day, but were quickly doubled up to put two outs on the board. The Ducks finished off the frame with a strikeout.

Oregon loaded the bases again in the top of the fourth on the back of three-straight walks. Purdue beared down and finished the inning unscathed with two flyouts and an infield fly.

Baseball Takes Series Against Penn State

Purdue did not go quietly after Penn State erupted for an 11-run second inning, pulling within three runs in the eighth inning before the Nittany Lions closed out a 14-9 victory to prevent a series sweep Sunday at Alexander Field.

Penn State (6-15, 2-4 Big Ten) was also the last opponent to post a 10-run inning against the Boilermakers (15-7, 5-4 Big Ten), enjoying a 12-run sixth inning in a series-opening win at Alexander Field in April 2023.

Purdue lost its third consecutive Sunday series finale in Big Ten play, surrendering a combined 39 runs in those defeats.

Sam Flores connected for a three-run homer in the first inning, his team leading sixth of the season. It was the Boilers’ ninth consecutive game with a home run.

Purdue had the potential tying run in the on-deck circle in the eighth inning. Quincy Malbrough, Eli Anderson and Sam Flores teamed up for three consecutive singles. Aaron Manias followed with a sacrifice fly to cut PSU’s lead to 12-9. But the Boilermakers did not record another hit the rest of the game and PSU took advantage of a pair of errors to get the two runs back in the top of the ninth.

Boland induced a 6-4-3 double play ball to erase a leadoff walk in his first full inning of work. The Boilermakers turned seven twin killings in the series, with Drake contributing to all seven as the second baseman.

The home team has won the last five Purdue-Penn State series dating back to 2019.

Even without a strikeout, Zach Erdman worked seven innings of one-run ball to lead Purdue to its third 2-1 victory of the season – all with the lefty on the mound – Saturday vs. Penn State at Alexander Field.

Ali Banks hit the game-deciding home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth, greeting the Nittany Lions’ top reliever with a 392-foot blast to left center on the second pitch of the day thrown by Kyle Emmons. It was Banks’ third homer of the season, all coming in the last six games.

CJ Richmond and Dylan Drake both connected for a double in the span of three batters to pull the Boilermakers (15-6, 5-3 Big Ten) even in the bottom of the fifth. Drake missed an opposite-field home run by just a few feet, settling for his third double and fourth extra-base hit of the series.

Drake also enjoyed a fantastic defensive game at second base. He helped Purdue turn three double plays for the second game in a row – none bigger than an inning-ending 4-3 twin killing with the bases loaded to end the top of the fifth. He also took away a one-out single with a sliding play up the middle in the second inning. Richmond assisted his infield mate with a long wingspan and stretches at first base on multiple occasions.

The Boilermakers have turned three double plays in back-to-back games for the first time since racking up seven across the midweek and home openers in March 2024.

Erdman opened the game with consecutive 1-2-3 innings and finished his outing with a third 1-2-3 frame. He pitched from the stretch for much of the middle innings, but still only needed 86 pitches to complete seven frames. Coincidentally, the senior had registered at least five strikeouts in each of his first five outings before going without a K on Saturday. Erdman has pitched a combined 20 innings of one-run ball across Purdue’s trio of 2-1 victories, all of which have been on Saturdays.

Jake Kramer retired all five batters he faced while closing out a win for the second Saturday in a row. He struck out the opposition’s top hitter to begin his outing for the second week in a row.

Aaron Manias homered twice as one of six Boilermakers with multiple hits, leading the way as Purdue scored at least eight runs for the sixth consecutive game in a 12-7 victory vs. Penn State on Friday at Alexander Field.

The Boilermakers (14-6, 4-3 Big Ten) roared in front with a five-run third inning and won for the fifth time in their last six games.

Manias posted Purdue’s first multi-homer game of the season and his first as a Boilermaker, punctuating the five-run third inning with a two-run blast to right center. He went deep again for another 400-foot shot in the bottom of the eighth after PSU (5-14, 1-3 Big Ten) had cut the Boilers’ lead to 11-7. The senior finished the day 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.

Dylan Drake connected for a pair of opposite-field extra-base hits to left center – a double in the fourth inning and RBI triple in the seventh. Eli Anderson (2-for-5, RBI, 2 R), Sam Flores (2-for-5, 2B, RBI, R), CJ Richmond (2-for-5, RBI) and Brandon Rogers (2-for-4, RBI, R) joined Drake and Manias with multiple hits.

Blaze Places Sixth, Boilermakers 29th at NCAA Championships

Purdue junior Joey Blaze wrapped up a sixth-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday, marking the fifth time in the last four seasons that the Boilermakers have had a wrestler achieve All-America status.

The Boilers finished 29^th in the final team standings, scoring 10.5 points over the three-day affair. The placement ranked Purdue as the No. 9 team in the Big Ten Conference, which accounted for four of the top-five team placements, and six of the top-10.

Blaze dropped his consolation semifinal match by the slimmest of margins, falling 2-1 via a riding-time point to Arizona State’s Nicco Ruiz. Blaze was in deep on shots at the end of the second and third periods but ran out of room on the edge and time on the clock in both instances. Blaze also found himself close to a reversal midway through the final period but was stopped due to a potentially dangerous call from the official.

Blaze injury defaulted in the fifth-place match, settling for a sixth-place finish on the podium. His quarterfinal win on Friday made him the 13th two-time All-American in Purdue history.

With the 2025-26 collegiate season officially over, the Boilermakers will head into the offseason with the U.S. Open looming in April. Last year, Blaze took the freestyle circuit by storm and competed throughout the summer.

Wright Closes Career as Silver Medalist at NCAAs

 Purdue’s Daryn Wright closed out her career on a high note, winning a silver medal in platform diving while claiming her sixth career All-America honor Saturday at the NCAA Championships.

Wright became the Purdue women’s first medalist at NCAAs since Maycey Vieta won bronze on the tower in 2021. Emily Meaney (2019) was the program’s last silver medalist. Meany, Vieta and Wright have all played a big part in the Boilermakers having a championship finalist in platform diving at nine consecutive NCAA Championships dating back to 2017.

Avery Worobel and Wright accounted for 35 team points with their three top-10 finishes in the diving events. They helped Purdue finish tied for 21st in the team scoring. The Boilermakers were top 25 at NCAAs for the fourth year in a row and fifth time this decade.

Each of the last two years, the Purdue women had an All-American in all three diving events. They accomplished that feat in consecutive years for the first time since 2010 and 2011.

Wright impressed in the final with a list score of 343.45, earning a score of 63-plus in all five rounds. In most years, that list score would have been good enough to make her the national champion. But Stanford’s Ellie Cole, a 10-meter finalist for Australia at the 2024 Olympic Games, won the event by 56 points with an NCAA-record score of 399.80, eclipsing a mark that had stood since 2013. Cole also won the prelim by 25 points.

Wright was an All-American on both 3-meter and platform as a sophomore, junior and senior. She placed top five on the tower at NCAAs all three years and was top 10 on 3-meter both of her upperclassman seasons, giving her five consecutive top-10 finishes at the national championship meet to finish her career.

Wright was also a Big Ten silver medalist in platform diving this season, finishing her career as a four-time medalist at the Big Ten Championships.

Swimmer Reagan Mattice also represented the Boilermakers’ Class of 2026 at the NCAA Championships this week while closing out her career.

As a conference champion on 3-meter and three-time Big Ten medalist, Worobel will headline the Purdue women’s returnees for the 2026-27 season.

Women’s Tennis Falls 1-4 at Northwestern

The No. 61 women’s tennis squad fell at Northwester, 1-4 on Sunday afternoon. With the result, Purdue drops to a 6-7 (2-3 Big Ten) record.

The Boilermakers took the doubles point, opening the dual with a ranked win as No. 1 position pairing of Ece Gencer and Ida Clement defeated #27 Erica Jessel/Margot Phanthala, 6-4 and Emmi Kolyszko and Ashlie Wilson defeated their Wildcat duo, 6-1.

Purdue returns to West Lafayette next weekend to host Nebraska on Friday at 4 p.m. ET and Iowa on Sunday at Noon ET.

Lee, Jovic Pick Up Doubles Win vs. #5 Ohio State

Men’s Tennis fell to No. 5 Ohio State, 0-4 on Sunday afternoon at Schwartz Tennis Center.

Up next, the Boilermakers will begin a three-dual road swing, beginning at the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. The match will serve as Purdue’s lone contest of the week.