In a nail-biting contest at Bob Warn Field on Tuesday afternoon, the Indiana State Sycamores secured a narrow 8-7 victory over the visiting Purdue Boilermakers. Dominic Listi’s dash home on an eighth-inning wild pitch and Simon Gregersen’s clutch performance in the ninth inning were pivotal in clinching the win for the Sycamores.
The game reached a fever pitch in the eighth inning when Listi, capitalizing on a wild pitch by Purdue reliever Jackson Dannelley (0-2), raced home to break the deadlock and give Indiana State the 8-7 lead. Dannelley was able to contain the damage, issuing an intentional walk to Parker Stinson and retiring the next three batters, with the Sycamores holding onto their slim lead.
Purdue mounted a fierce comeback effort in the ninth inning, loading the bases with none out against ISU reliever Jared Spencer (4-0). However, Gregersen emerged as the hero of the hour, inducing a game-ending ground ball double play from Connor Caskenette to preserve the Sycamores’ one-run advantage and secure the win.
The game saw dramatic swings in momentum, with Indiana State rallying back from an early 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning. Connor Hicks and Grant Magill ignited the Sycamores’ offense with home runs, while Luis Hernandez contributed to the six-run inning with an RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 22 consecutive games.
Purdue had surged ahead early in the contest, buoyed by Luke Gaffney’s three-run home run in the first inning and solid offensive contributions from players like Keenan Taylor and Logan Sutter. However, the Boilermakers couldn’t maintain their lead against Indiana State’s lineup.
Listi extended his on-base streak to 23 games, while Hicks marked his first home run of the 2024 season with a pivotal three-run shot in the fifth inning. Hicks, alongside Grant Magill, became the second pair of Sycamores to homer in the same inning this season.
The victory extends Indiana State’s dominance against Big Ten opponents, as they improve to 4-0 against the conference this season and notch their 10th consecutive win over Big Ten teams in the past calendar year.
Purdue has now dropped five of their last six games with an overall record of 16-10. The Boilermakers travel to Columbus this weekend for a series with the Ohio State Buckeyes.