Kaletha's Walk-Off Homer Lifts No. 10 Indiana over Purdue

Sunday, April 8

Bloomington, Ind.

3 p.m.

Indiana University

Purdue

Kaletha's Walk-Off Homer Lifts No. 10 Indiana over Purdue

4/8/2018 9:08:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - As Logan Kaletha headed toward third during a joyful jaunt around the bases, he sent a "feed me" gesture toward the Indiana dugout.

Kaletha had just made sure everybody could still make Sunday dinner.

His two-run walk-off homer ended a 13-inning marathon, giving the host Hoosiers a 7-5 victory and a series win over arch-rival Purdue.

"I mean, I was pretty amped up right there," Kaletha recalled. "That was probably one of the better team wins we've had so far."

It certainly didn't come easily. The Boilermakers had built a 5-1 lead by the top of the fourth before IU began chipping away, finally forging a 5-5 tie on Scotty Bradley's two-out homer to right in the bottom of the seventh.

In the interim, Hoosier relievers Cal Krueger and Matt Lloyd combined to keep Purdue hitless through six innings of work, the first three by Krueger – who retired all nine Boilermakers he faced.

Then toward the end of Lloyd's extended five-inning stint, Indiana's defense helped keep the Boilers off the board, including a spinning play and throw by Jeremy Houston in the shortstop hole during the top of the 12^th.

"Great game after the third (inning) for us," IU coach Chris Lemonis said. "We struggled the last two days getting started, but once we got to Cal there, I thought Cal really slowed the game down for us and we were able to bang away and get back in the ball game.

"(Resiliency is) the trademark of this group … won a lot of games late this year. I think it's just an older mature (team) and a good bullpen lets you keep playing and fighting in those games."

Purdue (15-12 overall, 4-2 in Big Ten play) made sure IU resiliency was required.

The Boilers got on the board almost immediately as Charlie Nasuti blooped a one-out double just inside the right field line amidst diving defenders in the first, then scored on Jacson McGowan's grounder up the middle.

The Hoosiers equalized in their half of the frame as Kaletha worked a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on Ryan Fineman's clutch two-out ground single to left.

Purdue got another run in the third as Harry Shipley worked a leadoff walk and came around on singles by Nasuti and McGowan. Purdue centerfielder Skyler Walker then robbed Matt Lloyd of a homer at the fence in dead center and made a fine running grab of a Logan Sowers liner in the Hoosier third.

Trouble then again brewed quickly for IU starter Cam Beauchamp. Evan Warden laced a leadoff double down the left field line, took third on a wild pitch and came home on a groundout to get a 3-run Purdue rally started.

After a throwing error put Tyler Powers on. He off for second and, with IU shortstop Justin Walker on the move to cover the bag, Nasuti's liner eluded his leap. It was 4-1. McGowan made it 5-1 with a sac fly to right.

Indiana bounced right back. Bradley got it going in the Hoosier fourth with a leadoff single to right. After a Matt Gorski walk, Elijah Dunham came through with a ground RBI single to right. Lafayette Jeff product Walker whacked a RBI single to right pulling IU within 5-3.

Fine IU defense kept the Boilers scoreless in the fifth.

Kaletha's leaping catch as he rammed into the centerfield wall robbed Nick Dalesandro. "That was probably the best defensive play of my career so far," Kaletha said. Then, after Ben Nisle doubled, he was eventually cut down at the plate by a Bradley throw during an attempted double steal.

And then Lemonis turned the mound duties over to Krueger and Lloyd and the Purdue offense went dormant for a long while.

"It feels very good playing behind those guys," Bradley said of IU's 1-2 closer punch. "You just know they're going to get in there and pound the zone. It's fun. Great pace to the game and all that. Both their stuff is pretty electric. It's fun to watch from first base."

Bradley was part of the fun as IU closed within a run in its half of the fifth.

Logan Sowers stroked career hit No. 200, a lined single to right. Ryan Fineman followed with a looped single to center. Bradley sacrificed the runners up, and Sowers scored on Gorski's lined single to left.

Bradley then brought the Hoosiers all the way back to tying position with his solo blast in the seventh, crushing the first pitch he saw.

"That pitcher (reliever Trevor Cheaney) had a really good breaking ball … and at that point, with two outs, he (had been) spinning a lot of breaking balls," Bradley said. "I figured he wanted it to be a quick inning. I went up there sitting fastball … I got a good piece of it."

But that was all the scoring for either side for the next five innings. And neither side mounted what looked like a serious threat till the Purdue 12^th.

Purdue pinch-hitter Nick Evarts led off the 12^th with a double, literally dancing into second base. Lloyd bore down to fan Shipley and Natusi before Houston, who had entered in the ninth, then maintained the tie with a spinning play in the hole on McGowan's grounder and a strong throw for the third out.

"That just fired me up," said an appreciative Lloyd. "I have faith in him and, kind of right off the bat, I knew he was going to make the play."

But defense couldn't stop Kaletha in the 13^th.

After former Bloomington North standout Colby Stratten started the decisive frame with a sharp single to right, he was sacrificed to second by Walker. From there, he doubtless had a good view of Kaletha's homer disappearing over the left-center wall.

The 76 MPH curve ball from Cameron Williams exited at a higher velocity.

"Pretty sure it was a breaking ball," Kaletha confirmed. "Just got down and timed it pretty well. I had missed the fastball …

"I didn't (know it was out) because I'd hit one pretty deep before that just kind of hung up there. So I just kind of watched it the whole way and was pretty excited when it went out."

Excited, in part, because of the intrastate rivalry. The Michigan City native who transferred to IU from John A. Logan College this year knows several Purdue players.

"I've got a few buddies on the team over there," Kaletha said. "Their No. 1 (starting pitcher Tanner Andrews), I grew up playing with. It was really good to play against these guys, including a couple I played against in high school … this one felt really good.

"These guys were telling me coming in how much fun this (rivalry) is. Coach was preaching about how fun the series is. I loved every second of it."

Kaletha talked "team win" and especially credited Krueger and Lloyd for holding the Boilermakers, who got 10 of their 12 hits before that duo came in, at bay.

"When you have two bulldogs on the mound like that, I have no problem knowing we're going to come in and compete," Kaletha said. "Coach talks about competing. Those are two competitive guys to have on the mound.

"I mean, honestly, Matt Lloyd is probably the best baseball player I've ever played with. And for him to come in and do what he did was unbelievable."

Lloyd indeed handled the extended innings with aplomb.

"That was a little bit different, not something I've done over the past year," said the closer, who is also versatile enough to hit near the top of the IU order and play several infield positons. "But at JUCO I was a starter, so it was just kind of like going back to my roots in that sense. Nothing too new for me."

Lemonis relishes having abundant bullpen and bench options.

"As a game goes on like that on a Sunday, we're running out Cal Krueger, Matt Lloyd," Lemonis said. "I've got B.J. Sabol, who doesn't pitch on the weekend (and) he's been as good as anybody. That's one of the strengths of our team.

"I mean (which other team is) bringing Jeremy Houston in off the bench to make those plays? That's one of the keys for us. It's hard for me to manage sometimes because you're trying to keep them happy, but they've played really well."

Well enough to stand 22-6, overall, and 3-2 in league play. Purdue entered the weekend unbeaten in conference play, magnifying the series win for No. 10-ranked IU.

"That's huge for us," Lemonis said. "As we're fighting, even with RPIs or rankings and all that, conference is really important. At the end of the year, they look at that as one of the biggest things that you competed in your conference.

"So for us to get a series win here was huge against a good team. Purdue played well all weekend, I thought."

And if the Hoosiers came in hungry. Kaletha made sure they left well-saited.

IU hosts another in-state rival, Indiana State, at 6:05 Tuesday.