After the Purdue Boilermakers knocked off the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference tournament, the UCLA Bruins now know their quarterfinal opponent. UCLA will take on Purdue Friday at 11:00a.m. PST for a shot to advance to the tournament semifinals.
Purdue cruised past Iowa, picking an 8-1 win. Iowa actually led 1-0 after pushing a run across in the fourth inning but the Boilermakers responded with a three spot in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.
From there it was all Purdue, tacking on three more runs in the sixth inning before closing out the victory. The win didn’t cost Purdue their bullpen, using just two pitchers in the game. Austin Klug got the start for the Boilermakers and went 4.2 innings, Jarvis Evans would go the rest of the way, pitching 4.1 shutout innings.
Purdue will be facing a well-rested UCLA team that just capped off the program’s best-ever regular season. The No. 1 Bruins are also expected to have ace Logan Reddemann return at some point this weekend, with the right-hander reportedly being an option for UCLA out of the bullpen this weekend.
UCLA hasn’t seen Purdue this season, with the Boilermakers and Bruins not crossing paths during Big Ten action but there’s no doubt that UCLA will enter Friday’s game as considerable favorites. The Bruins feature a lineup littered with MLB Draft prospects, with a pair of elite relievers in Easton Hawk and Wylan Moss.
Even if it’s an unfair expectation, following a 28-2 showing in Big Ten action, anything less than a Big Ten tournament championship will be a bit of a letdown for the mighty Bruins, who are looking for their first Big Ten tournament title after a second place finish in 2025.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA draws Purdue in the Big Ten Conference tournament quarterfinals
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
