What a weekend it was for Purdue baseball at Alexander Field. The Boilermakers not only completed a dramatic sweep of their bitter rival Indiana, but they also gave their NCAA Tournament hopes a massive, much-needed boost.
The star of the series was undoubtedly Rogers, who had missed the last month after breaking a bone in his hand on April 3rd against Illinois. He more than made up for lost time. Rogers delivered a clutch game-tying hit on Friday night and technically scored the winning run. On Saturday, he crushed a three-run triple to walk off the Hoosiers. Then on Sunday, he provided the go-ahead triple. It was almost as if Rogers was personally responsible for all three wins.
Friday night's game looked like a lost cause through three and a half innings. Purdue trailed 8-0 before finally getting on the board with a two-run single from Zach Zychowski. Indiana still led 9-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, when Zychowski added a third RBI with a triple before scoring on a sacrifice fly. Down 9-4 entering the eighth, the Boilers exploded for seven runs to notch an incredible 11-9 win. Rogers' two-run single tied it at 9-9, and then Sam Flores put Purdue in front with a long two-run home run.
Saturday was another incredible comeback. The Boilers trailed 4-0 entering the ninth inning but rallied for a thrilling 5-4 victory. Once again, it was Rogers. His two-out double down the right field line with the bases loaded allowed Purdue to steal a win after the offense had been mostly quiet all day.
On Sunday, Purdue was the team that jumped out in front before giving up the lead. The Boilers led 5-0 after three innings, thanks to a first-inning two-run home run from Wes Moore and a second-inning solo shot from the same player. Indiana wouldn't be denied, however, as a five-run sixth inning gave them a brief 7-6 lead. That's when Rogers drove in two with a triple in the bottom of the inning. Purdue added three insurance runs in the seventh and held on thanks to Jake Kramer, who earned his ninth save of the season—and his second of the weekend.
Rogers finished the weekend 4-for-10 at the plate with seven critical RBI, making him the leading candidate for Big Ten Player of the Week. More importantly, this sweep gives the Boilermakers serious momentum as they head into the postseason. When you play with that kind of heart and clutch hitting, anything is possible.