A strong start by Grant Inman set the stage, three hits by Chad Jacob (Irvine, Calif. / Woodbridge) helped the cause and a scoreless ninth by freshman Jon Tieman (Crystal Lake, Ill. / Prairie Ridge) sealed the deal as the Valparaiso University baseball team dispatched instate Big 10 foe Purdue 5-1 on Wednesday night in West Lafayette. This marked the first time since 1977 the Crusaders won at Purdue, and they’ve now captured back-to-back wins against the Boilermakers after a triumph at Emory G. Bauer Field last May.

How It Happened

• The Crusaders mounted an early threat in the opening inning as a double steal helped Jacob and James Stea (Los Alamitos, Calif. / Los Alamitos [Golden West]) advance to second and third with one away, but back-to-back strikeouts allowed Purdue starter Tanner Schumacher to escape unscathed.
• Valpo grabbed the lead by scoring twice in the third. A pair of wild pitches helped Jacob scoot from second to the dish for the first Valpo run, then Jake Hanson (Yorkville, Ill. / Aurora Christian) grounded a run-scoring single to short that drove in Nate Palace (Westlake Village, Calif. / Oaks Christian) and made it 2-0.
• In the bottom of the third, Purdue’s Harry Shipley looped a two-out single to left and Logan Poisall tried to score. However, Valpo left fielder Patrick Donohue (Arlington Heights / Prospect) made a strong throw to the dish and Kapers applied the tag on Poisall to end the inning and keep it 2-0 Valpo.
• Jacob ripped his third hit of the game in the fourth, a sharp single up the middle that allowed Chase Dawson (Chesterton, Ind. / Andrean) to trot across the dish. Dawson had rapped a double down the left field line to lead off the frame.
• Palace followed Jacob’s run-scoring hit by drilling a single through the center of the diamond that permitted Stea to score from second and build Valpo’s lead to four.
• An infield single and an error on the Crusaders gave the Boilermakers their best chance of the day in the bottom of the fourth, but Jacob made a nice play to start a 6-4-3 double play that ended the inning.
• The Boilermakers got on the board in the bottom of the fifth as Alec Olund singled through the left side to drive in a run. However, Inman prevented further damage when he induced another inning-ending twin killing, this time 5-4-3.
• Montana Quigley (Lake Forest, Calif. / El Toro) was summoned from the Valpo bullpen for a critical moment in the game. Inman exited with two outs and the bases full in the sixth with Valpo leading 4-1. Quigley notched a significant strikeout to end the inning.
• Olund stroked a sharp single to left and swiped second in the seventh, but Quigley struck out Mike Madej swinging to end the threat as Purdue left the runner stranded at second.
• Donohue stroked a single down the left field line to drive in Sam Shaikin (West Hills, Calif. / Chatsworth) in the top of the eighth.
• The game’s ending was not for the faint of heart, as the Boilermakers packed the bags against Tieman in the bottom of the ninth. However, the rookie righty induced a 4-6-3 double play to secure the victory. The Valpo defense turned three double plays in the game.

Inside the Game

• Jacob’s multi-hit game was his sixth of the season in just 11 games played. Wednesday marked his first three-hit game of the 2017 campaign. He had not enjoyed a three-hit day since his freshman year, when he had three such days in 2015.
• Jacob boosted his hitting streak to 11.
• Shaikin has reached base in seven straight games.
• Palace racked up his 10^th multi-hit performance of the year.
• Inman flipped 5 2/3 strong frames, yielding just one run (earned) on six hits and two walks. He grabbed the win to boost his record to 3-2.
• Schumacher lasted 3 1/3 innings and was charged with four earned runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking three. He was hit with the loss to drop to 0-3.
• Valpo has won back-to-back games against the Boilermakers after also beating them 13-10 at Emory G. Bauer Field last May.
• This marked Valpo’s first win at Purdue since May 11, 1977. The Crusaders snapped a 27-game losing streak in games at Purdue.

Next Up

The Crusaders will make the trek to Wichita, Kan. for a three-game weekend series at Wichita State that begins on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT. The series will be broadcast on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Links to live video and stats are available on ValpoAthletics.com.