Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/120607
baseball drops two over the weekend home Following atheir fivestretch that saw the Boilermakers win only one of games at Alexander Field, Coach Doug Schreiber had hit a boiling point. His team, the Big Ten champions a year ago, is struggling with consistency, dropping to 11-18 overall, 4-5 in the Big Ten, after losing 13-4 to visiting Northwestern on Sunday. After winning the Game 1 opener of the series, Purdue dropped the final two, being outscored 23-10. Tom Campbell "I've pushed just about ev- Doug Schreiber has not been happy with umpires or his players ery button that I can," Schreiber recently, as Purdue has won only one of eight at home this season. said. "I'm not out of buttons but 1/3, giving up four runs in Game 1 to pick I'm really close to being out." up his fourth win of the season. The Boilermakers, who have 15 "We've got a freshman starting on Frinewcomers, aren't getting the kind of day for us who gives us a quality start and production they need out of their few a senior and redshirt junior who do not returning veterans. Senior leadoff hitter give us a quality start," Doug Schreiber Steve Talbott has struck out 29 times in said. "We need older guys to step up. 104 at-bats, while veteran first baseman "I'm not pointing the finger directly Angelo Cianfrocco is hitting only a shade at them, but it's where we are right now." over .200. Sunday was ugly for the BoilermakAnd Purdue's Saturday and Sunday ers. Northwestern (14-10, 4-5) scored five pitchers, senior Robert Ramer and junior runs in the second inning, three being Brad Schreiber, struggled over the week- unearned after an error by Cianfrocco. end. Ramer gave up six runs in 4 1/3 in- Brad Schreiber, who has struggled in nings Saturday, while Schreiber allowed coming back from elbow surgery, was eight runs in 2 2/3 a day later. Neither chased from his start an inning later. matched the production of freshman The Wildcats scored in six of nine inFriday starter Jordan Minch, who went 7 nings and had an answer each time the Boilermakers threatened to close the gap. "As older guys we're always expected to carry on some of the leadership," said fifth-year senior shortstop Jake Hansen, who leads Purdue with a .297 average. "We take a lot of the blame about what is going on this season right now. We haven't stepped up and been leaders like we're capable of being." Purdue's 4-5 Big Ten record places it in a tie for sixth place (with N o r t hwe s t e r n ) three weeks into the conference season. The top six teams — the Boilers will lose a tiebreaker to NU — will qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. After two mid-week games, at Indiana State Tuesday and vs. Ball State Wednesday at Alexander, the Boilermakers travel to Illinois over the weekend. "They've got to start digging deep," said Schreiber, whose team in last in the Big Ten in batting (.244) and in ERA (6.17). "They've got to love to compete, more than they love to play baseball, and right now I don't know that that is happening. "We're a long ways away. You're more than just a couple pitches, more than an AB, more than one defensive play away." — Kyle Charters GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 26 • 23