On Friday, the Purdue Northwest baseball team faced off against Wayne State (Mich.) in an intense extra-inning battle. The Pride emerged victorious with a 9-8 walk-off win.
The Basics:
- Records: Purdue Northwest (9-9, 1-4 GLIAC), Wayne State (10-14, 0-1 GLIAC)
- Location: Hammond, Indiana (Labors' Local 41 Field)
- GLIAC conference game.
The Breakdown
- Conor Pangburn (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) started for PNW, pitching five innings, striking out six, and allowing three earned runs.
- Owen Walkowiak (Crown Point, Ind./Andrean) followed with two innings of relief, surrendering three runs and fanning four batters.
- Ethan Knopf (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) (2-1) closed the game with three innings, giving up one run and striking out one to earn the win.
- Wayne State's Ethan Getting (Portage,Mich./Portage North) (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs in 1.1 innings pitched.
- Kam Earley (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) got the Pride on the board early in the first with an RBI double in the first inning, scoring Joey Guiliano (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) from third.
- Dan Puplava (Portage, Ind./Portage) followed with an RBI single, extending the lead. Ethan Imlach (Mokena, Ill./Mount Carmel) grounded into a double play, but it still allowed a run to score, giving PNW a 3-0 advantage.
- In the second inning, AJ Reid (Highland, Ind./Highland) reached on a throwing error, allowing another run to score. Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) then crushed a three-run homer, putting PNW ahead 7-0.
- Wayne State answered in the third with a solo home run by Mason McGuire, cutting into the lead.
- The Warriors continued their push in the fifth inning, scoring three runs off an RBI single from Bennett Hitzelberger and another from Owen Tuccinardi, making it a 7-4 game.
- Wayne State tied it in the seventh, as Jacoby Dale and Bennett Hitzelberger hit back-to-back home runs, leveling the score at 7-7.
- In the 10th inning, Wayne State took an 8-7 lead on a sacrifice fly from Gabe Zeldes.
- The Pride responded in the bottom of the 10th, as Ethan Imlach (Mokena, Ill./Mount Carmel) delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly, driving in two runs to secure the 9-8 win.
Up Next:
 The Pride will continue their series against Wayne State with a doubleheader on March 29, beginning at 12:00 PM CT.
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