Rain Threatens Big Ten Baseball Showdown Between Ohio State and Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Interstat) — A wet forecast looms over a key Big Ten baseball series as the Purdue Boilermakers host the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon at Alexander Field.

First pitch is scheduled for the evening, but persistent rain and a temperature near 81 degrees (27 C) could impact the contest. The teams opened their three-game set on Friday, with Purdue securing a victory.

The Boilermakers (24-11) enter with the stronger overall record and have won eight of their last 10 games, including a series sweep at Northwestern last weekend. They fell 5-3 in 11 innings to Miami (Ohio) in their midweek contest.

Ohio State (19-16) looks to rebound after a 7-11 loss to Marshall on Wednesday, which snapped a three-game winning streak. The Buckeyes took two of three from Penn State in their previous Big Ten series.

A player to watch for Ohio State is first baseman Dane Harvey, who brings a hot bat into the weekend. Harvey is 11 for 35 (.314) with three home runs and 12 RBIs over his last 11 games. He went 3 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs in the loss to Marshall.

Purdue will counter with reliever Trevor KesterJohnson, who has been effective out of the bullpen. In his last appearance, he threw three scoreless innings with two strikeouts against Miami (Ohio). Over his last 10 outings, he has a 1.93 ERA in 4.2 innings pitched.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, this matchup projects to be a close one, with a predicted final score of Purdue 7, Ohio State 6.

The series will conclude Sunday before both teams turn to midweek non-conference action. Ohio State will host Akron on Tuesday, while Purdue will face Indiana State.