WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Interstat) — In a tightly contested midweek game defined by stellar relief pitching and a decisive seventh-inning rally, the Purdue Boilermakers edged the Valparaiso Beacons 3-2 on Tuesday evening at Alexander Field.

The Boilermakers, who improved to 15-7, overcame an early two-run deficit and a strong collective effort from the Valparaiso bullpen to secure the victory. The Beacons fell to 6-14 despite holding Purdue’s potent offense in check for much of the night.

The most critical sequence unfolded in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Valparaiso had reclaimed a 2-2 tie with two runs in the top of the frame, Purdue mounted its winning response against Beacon reliever Joey Kafka. With two outs, Kafka hit consecutive batters, Mike Rogers and Sam Flores, to put two runners on. Valparaiso turned to Nick Baffa, but Purdue’s Connor Manias greeted him with a single to right-center field, scoring Rogers with what proved to be the game-winning run.

That rally countered Valparaiso’s effort in the top of the seventh. Brayden Pleau, who had three of Valparaiso’s six hits, led off with a single and eventually scored on a single by Jake Gauthier. After a wild pitch and an intentional walk, Carson Schembra doubled down the right-field line to drive in Gauthier and tie the game before Purdue reliever Jake Kramer escaped further damage.

The game’s foundation was built on pitching, particularly from Purdue starter Austin Klug. The Boilermakers’ top star rebounded emphatically from a difficult outing just two days prior, when he failed to record an out against Penn State. On Tuesday, Klug delivered four shutout innings, allowing only three hits and striking out four. His performance stabilized the game after Valparaiso had taken a 2-0 lead before Purdue even came to bat, a result of two unearned runs scored in the top of the first inning following fielding errors.

Purdue erased that deficit in the third inning against Valparaiso reliever Justin Bultemeier. A double by Sam Flores drove in one run, and a subsequent groundout by Mike Richmond brought home Flores to tie the game, with the latter run being unearned due to an earlier error.

From there, the bullpens dominated. Following Klug, Purdue’s Jake Kramer earned the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit. For Valparaiso, a parade of relievers — Spencer Boynton, Hunter Frost, Christian Hack and Nick Baffa — combined for 6 1/3 hitless innings, striking out nine Boilermakers between the third and eighth innings. Their effort kept the Beacons in position to tie and potentially win the game late.

Purdue’s offense managed 10 hits, led by two hits apiece from Flores, Manias and leadoff hitter Anderson. Flores also drove in a run. Valparaiso’s Pleau finished 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

The victory extended Purdue’s positive momentum at home, while Valparaiso’s hard-luck loss added to a challenging season, though their pitching performance offered a bright spot. The Boilermakers host Illinois-Chicago on Wednesday, while the Beacons next play a weekend series against Indiana State beginning Friday.