Purdue baseball drops series opener to Maryland, stays in hunt for Big Ten tournament

WEST LAFAYETTE – Despite dropping Thursday night’s series opener against No. 14 Maryland, Purdue’s baseball team maintains its position in the Big Ten standings during the final weekend.

The Boilermakers lost 14-7 at Alexander Field as the Terrapins smacked four home runs but coach Greg Goff’s team stayed in the eighth and final spot to qualify for the Big Ten tournament with two games to play - Friday at 5 p.m. (BTN) and Saturday at 1 p.m. (BTN).

Purdue sits at 9-11 in conference games while Northwestern, Michigan State and Nebraska are 8-14 after Thursday’s action. The league standings are determined by winning percentage.

LOTS TO DO: Busy summer awaits Purdue QB Aidan O'Connell

Losses by the Wildcats and the Huskers make the situation clear - win Friday or Saturday and the Boilermakers clinch a spot in the tournament. They can also qualify with one loss by two of the three teams – Michigan State, Nebraska and Northwestern. The Spartans and the Huskers are playing each other, meaning Purdue would have to wait until Saturday to earn a spot if it doesn't win Friday's game.

Late push

After falling behind 13-0, the Boilermakers scored in the bottom of the fifth and combined for six runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Ryan Howe hit a three-run homer in the eighth to bring Purdue within 13-7 and totaled four RBI.

To hit a home run in one of his final games at Alexander Field was special to the senior first baseman.

“It’s unbelievable,” Howe said. “The fans and all the people coming out supporting us, I’ve got a bunch of family here. It’s great.

“It’s meant so much. They’ve given me an opportunity to come in and play and it’s a blessing to put on this uniform every day and be able to do something fun.”

REWARDS: Purdue to begin paying bonuses for academic achievements

Howe’s homer was almost voided when the umpires thought the Boilermakers batted out of order. A lengthy delay followed before the situation was straightened out.

“They thought somebody went in that spot and the umpire didn’t write it down the way it was supposed to,” Goff said. “The umpires did a great job of handling that. They thought in their mind we had hit out of order. Thank goodness, it worked out.”

Although the Boilermakers struggled early, they found their offense late, a promising sign for the remainder of the series.

“We got the team up in the seventh and said, ‘We need to finish this game,” Goff said. “This momentum, we’re going to carry into (Friday). Our guys responded well. I was very pleased with our at-bats.”

The pitching will have to be better against a powerful and efficient lineup, which has produced 115 home runs, the second-most in the nation behind Tennessee.

REACHING OUT: Email blitz brings Troy Viola to Purdue

Only reliever Ricky Castro was effective, posting three straight scoreless innings. He retired 10 of 13 batters in 4 1/3 innings to keep the bullpen fresh. Starter CJ Backer lasted 2 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs.

“CJ was a little elevated and from my catching communication from my guys in the back, we didn’t locate the fastball,” Goff said. “If you miss an elevated pitch on these guys, they’ve hit 100-something home runs for a reason. You’ve got to do a good job and work down in the zone.”

Fast start

The Terrapins are playing to win the regular-season championship for the first time since moving to the Big Ten. Maryland now leads the league by one game after Rutgers lost to Michigan.

The Terrapins are an impressive team, scoring double-digit runs for the fourth straight game and the seventh time in the last 10.

Maryland scored the game’s first 13 runs in its first five at-bats, thanks to home runs by Chris Alleyne, Bobby Zmarzlak and Ian Petrutz. Zmarzlak added a solo homer in the ninth as the trio combined for eight hits and eight RBI.

The turning point came in the second inning when Zmarzlak reached on a wild pitch and Purdue’s inability to turn a double play extended the inning. Luke Shliger doubled, scoring one run, and Alleyne’s three-run homer pushed the lead to 5-0.

“You can’t give these guys a lot,” Goff said. “They’re good and if you give them extra outs, they’re going to get you.”

Mike Carmin covers Purdue sports for the Journal & Courier. Email mcarmin@gannett.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram @carmin_jc

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Big Ten college baseball: Purdue blasted by No. 14 Maryland, 14-7