VanDriessche Breaks IPFW Single Season Homerun Record in Twinbill Split

Friday, April 30

Fort Wayne, Ind.

3:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

11-30, 0

Oral Roberts

23-18, 0

Oral Roberts

IPFW

VanDriessche Breaks IPFW Single Season Homerun Record in Twinbill Split

4/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

April 30, 2010

Game 1 | Game 2

Fort Wayne, IN - Gusty winds were the story of the day as IPFW and Oral Roberts combined for 17 home runs in double header action at Mastodon Field on Friday afternoon.

Oral Roberts pounded out a school record 34 runs in blasting IPFW, 34-10 in Game 1 while the Mastodons came back to beat the Golden Eagles, 9-7 in Game 2.

ORU (23-18, 11-3 SL) launched nine home runs off of Mastodon pitching in the opener, one shy of a school record.  They scored 15 runs after IPFW closed to within 19-10 in the 8th inning.  That was also a school record.  IPFW reliever Andrew Emge had settled the game down after ORU took a 19-3 lead.  Emge pitched three scoreless innings, but tried to barehand a line drive in the top of the eighth and had to leave the game.  At that point, head coach Bobby Pierce decided not to waste any of his remaining pitchers and ran out three position players to finish off the game and that's when it got out of hand. 

For IPFW, Shaun VanDriessche blasted two homers in the opener, upping his total to 11 on the season.  He drove in four.

ORU shortstop Tyler Saladino had a day for the ages.  He was 4-7 with eight runs batted in.  He also scored five times and had two homers, one a grand slam.  Starter Jameson Dunn got the win (3-1), tossing 7.0 complete, giving up 10 runs on 12 hits.  He fanned 12 and walked two.

IPFW hit five homers in Game 1.  Along with the two from VanDriessche, IPFW got a two-run shot from shortstop Will Faulkner and back-to-back solo homers from right fielder Daren Boss and catcher Cory Miller.

Nick Opitz took the loss (3-3).  He was shelled in 3.0 innings, giving up 13 runs on 13 hits. 

Oral Roberts picked up where they left off in Game 2, scoring three unearned runs off of IPFW starter Matt Antos in the first, but Antos got some run support in the bottom of the inning.

First baseman A.J. Christensen plated the 'Dons first run with an RBI single to left.  Center fielder Kurt Dudley followed with a two-run double to left center, and catcher Brendan Landwehr rounded out the four-run first with an RBI single to left.  IPFW would not trail from that point in the game.

The Mastodons made it 6-3 on a Garrett Segraves' two-run blast in the 2nd inning.  It was Segraves third homer of the year.

Oral Roberts would get one back in the 5th inning as first baseman Jared Schlehuber drove in a run with an RBI single to left.

In the sixth, IPFW got an unearned run as Segraves doubled to left field.  A bobble by left fielder Chris Elder allowed Jordan Kohler to score making it 7-4. 

The 'Dons added two more in the 7th inning and they proved to be big insurance runs.  VanDriessche launched a towering blast out of left field for his 12th homer of the season.  That set a new single-season homerun record at IPFW.  Faulkner followed that up with an RBI single to left making it 9-4.

Antos cruised until the 8th inning when he began to run out of steam.  After getting two outs, he gave up an RBI single to Saladino and a two-run homer to right fielder Nick Baligod as the Golden Eagles closed to within two at 9-7.

Matt Ransbottom came on and his first pitch to Elder was a blast to right that looked to tie it, but the wind actually knocked it down and Boss was able to make the catch on the warning track.

In the ninth, ORU got a lead-off double by third baseman Brett Sowers, but Ransbottom stranded him there closing it out for his second save of the year.

Antos was the winner (2-5).  He went 7.2 innings, giving up seven runs (four earned) on 13 hits.  He struck out a career-high 10 and walked three. 

Oral Roberts starter Bryce Smolen took the loss (5-3).  He surrendered all nine IPFW runs (seven earned) on 13 hits.  He struck out seven and walked one in 6.1 innings.

With the split (IPFW's first ever win over ORU) the Mastodons stand at 11-30 and 7-7 in conference play.  Games three and four of the series are scheduled for Saturday at noon, weather permitting.

Note:  IPFW also set a single season record for home runs in the double header.  IPFW has 40 on the season, with the previous record being 33.

~Dons~  