HAMMOND, Ind. – A record-setting offensive output and stellar pitching propelled Purdue Northwest in a sweep of Parkside. The Pride won by final scores of 22-0 and 18-5 Saturday afternoon at Laborers' Local 41 Field at Dowling Park.
The 22 runs scored in Game 1 broke the previous school record that was just set last weekend in a 21-19 win over Northwood.
The 40 runs scored in a doubleheader are also the most in PNW baseball program history.
GAME 1: PURDUE NORTHWEST 22, PARKSIDE 0
PNW (16-13, 5-9 GLIAC) got out to a quick 4-0 lead after the bottom of the first thanks to a mammoth home run by
Jake Soules (Troy, Mich./Troy High School), who was honored along with four other seniors prior to the start of the game, and a triple from
Alex Gasbarro (New Lenox, Ill./St. Laurence High School).
It was the bottom of the third where things quickly fell apart for a Parkside team (2-25, 1-11 GLIAC) that has struggled to keep offenses off balance all season.
With one already across in the home half of the third, PNW would drown out any hopes of a Parkside victory as the Pride tallied a staggering 13 runs with two outs in the frame.
Once the third inning was complete, PNW scored 14 runs on 10 hits coupled with three walks and three batters being hit by a pitch.
The big blast of the inning once again came from Soules, who batted three times in the inning, when his fly ball to center field was not caught due to the swirling winds and the senior along with a pair of teammates scored giving Soules an inside-the-park home run.
A sacrifice fly, a pair of singles and a walk all drove in the final runs of the contest for PNW in the bottom of the sixth for the 22-0 margin.
Sam Shively (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka (Taylor)) (3-3) was outstanding on the bump for PNW going all seven innings for the complete game shutout and keeping the Rangers on their heels. Shively allowed a mere four hits and struck out nine to go along with three walks.
Soules finished Game 1 going 3 for 5 with three runs scored and five RBIs and was matched in the RBI column by
Ethan Imlach (Mokena, Ill./Mount Carmel) with five of his own.
Imlach notched the most hits on the day with a 4 for 6 outing and two runs scored. All nine PNW starters collected at least one hit and eight drove in at least one run.
GAME 2: PURDUE NORTHWEST 18, PARKSIDE 5
Parkside showed signs of life in the second game of the day, but a 9-2 deficit after the fourth inning was just too much for the Rangers to overcome.
PNW once again got out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning including an RBI single to center by Imlach.
Parkside's first run of the day come off the bat of Andrew Harris when he hit a home run deep over the center field fence off PNW starter
Joe Buikema (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep).
Buikema (3-1) may have ended his day with five runs allowed in six innings on seven hits, but three of those five runs came by way of home runs that seemed to be wind-aided as the winds swirled all afternoon at Dowling Park. The right-hander finished with four strikeouts, a walk and a hit by pitch.
The Rangers got as close as they would the rest of the game when an RBI single cut the PNW lead down to 5-2, but a six run fourth inning put the game out of reach with five of the six being tallied off singles.
Leading by a 12-5 score going into the bottom of the eighth, PNW would score six more runs for the final 18-6 margin and collected a pair of triples and a double along the way. The triples by
Tyler Schultz (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) and
Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) were just the second time in program history that two triples were hit in the same game.
Anthony Noble (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central High School) and
Noah Burgh (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw Community High School) also turned in strong performances on the mound in relief as they combined to hurl the final three innings giving up no runs and just one hit along the way.
Schultz had the best individual outing in Game 2 with a 3 for 6 performance including a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored. Matthys joined Schultz in knocking in a trio of runs as seven PNW batters collected at least one RBI and eight of nine starters tallied a hit.
UP NEX
Both teams will return to Dowling Park for another doubleheader on Sunday. First pitch for the first game of the day will be at noon CDT.
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