April 15, 2017 Box Score
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers baseball overcame an early three-run deficit and held on late to beat Purdue, 7-6, Saturday at Bainton Field to earn its first Big Ten victory of the season. The win sets up a Sunday rubber game between the Scarlet Knights and Boilermakers.
Afterwards, the team capped its Vs. Cancer Foundation fundraiser by shaving their heads out beyond the left-field fence. The program raised $17,690.92 towards the cause, which will support children's cancer research and treatment.
Sophomore Serafino Brito (2-6) earned the win for RU (12-19, 1-4) in a six-inning start, allowing four earned runs. The right-hander struck out three and has now not walked a batter in his last 20 innings worked. Sophomore Ryan Wares followed with a scoreless frame of relief, which included stranding the tying run at third base. Finishing up, fifth-year senior Max Herrmann collected his fifth save of the season and 14th of his career by holding a one-run lead the last two innings.
Offensively, senior Tom Marcinczyk had two hits and walk to make it on base in 8-of-9 trips to the plate so this series. He also contributed two runs and one RBI. Junior Chris Folinusz also had a multiple-hit game with a single and a double, adding a sacrifice fly and two runs scored. The Scarlet Knights took advantage of three Purdue (18-16, 6-5) errors to plate four unearned runs.
Down 4-1 in the fourth, Rutgers sent 10 batters to the plate to score five runs on three hits and two errors. Sophomore Jawuan Harris started it off with a single and classmate Mike Martinez walked to put two aboard. After Harris swiped third, Marcinczyk lined an RBI single to make it a two-run game. Senior Christian Campbell came up next and placed a well-positioned bunt for a hit to load the bases. Folinusz then chopped a ball back to the mound that was errantly thrown home, as Martinez slid in safely. Freshman Kevin Welsh and junior Milo Freeman then each followed with RBI fielder's choices to give Rutgers the lead. Continuing, sophomore Carmen Sclafani walked and senior Mike Carter lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 6-4.
The Boilermakers scored an unearned run off a stolen base in the fifth, but the Scarlet Knights added that run back in the sixth. Folinusz hit a leadoff double off the base of the left-field wall, with Welsh then laying down a sacrifice bunt that was thrown away to allow a run to score.
In the top of the seventh, an error put a Purdue runner on base that would eventually score. That is when Wares entered from the bullpen and ended up facing a runners-at-the-corner situation with one out. However, he escaped with the one-run lead by inducing an infield pop and lineout to center field.
Herrmann took the mound in the eighth. With a runner at second and one out, the veteran fielded a comebacker and ran down the baserunner straying off the base in a textbook manner to eliminate a man in scoring position. A short pop fly to right field completed the inning.
In the ninth, the first batter reached on a hit by pitch, but sophomore Nick Matera, who had just entered the game, gunned out the runner attempting to steal. Purdue did hit a two-out triple, but Herrmann picked up a grounder to shortstop to preserve the victory.
Gareth Stroh (3-3) took the loss for the visitors with seven runs (three earned) permitted in a 5.1-inning start. The Boilermakers collected 11 hits and left eight men on base.
Similar to the 2015 meeting between the teams, the series will come down to a decisive third game. First pitch from Bainton Field is scheduled at 1 p.m. on BTN Plus.
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