Late Rally Falls Short as Murray State Drops Friday Opener

Friday, May 1

West Lafayette, IN

5 p.m.

Murray State

27-19

Purdue

30-15

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Murray State	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	5	12	1
Purdue	0	1	1	1	2	2	0	0	X	7	9	1

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

Late Rally Falls Short as Murray State Drops Friday Opener

5/1/2026 9:44:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Sam Rhodes

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Murray State baseball erased most of a five-run deficit with a late offensive surge Friday, but the comeback bid ultimately ended in a 7-5 loss to Purdue in the series opener at Alexander Field.

Purdue (30-15, 15-9 Big Ten) plated at least one run in five consecutive innings, taking a 5-0 lead into the sixth.

Kainen Jorge put the Racers on the board in the sixth inning with a two-run double, bringing Murray State within three. While the Boilermakers answered with a two-run single to push the margin back to five, the Racers continued to find life in the later frames.

Jorge and Kristofer Hokenson led the charge for the Racers' late push, each notching two-run doubles in the sixth and seventh innings. Jake Slade also notched his third home run of the season, a solo shot over the left-field wall in the top of the seventh.

Murray State (27-19, 12-6 MVC) recorded 12 hits as a team but left seven baserunners stranded. Slade, Hokenson, and Jorge each collected two hits, joining Colby Ott as the four Racers to record multi-hit games in the opener.

Nic Schutte earned the start, going 4.2 innings and allowing five runs on six hits. Schutte struck out four while surrendering five walks and was handed his fourth loss of the year.

Jackson Ugo made his first appearance since March 27 at Bradley, tossing 1.1 innings with two earned runs allowed. Jack Wajda was a bright spot for the bullpen, posting two scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and one strikeout.

The Racers will look to roll away the deficit tomorrow as the series continues. Murray State is now 0-3 in the 2026 season when dropping the first game of a three-game set.