After a wild game that saw both benches clear, the No. 1 seeded Purdue Boilermakers are officially headed to the NCAA Championships after a 6-5 win over Indiana in Sunday's Big Ten title game.
The victory marked Purdue's first Big Ten Tournament win, and also capped off a perfect 3-0 run through the Big Ten Tournament for the field's top overall seed. The 43-12 Boilermakers likely would have garnered enough respect to draw a bid without a league title on their resume after a strong 2012 campaign, but stole the conference's auto bid right out from underneath the rival Hoosiers anyway.
Stuck in a 5-5 tie in the top of the ninth inning, Purdue baserunner David Miller was caught in a rundown and proceeded to set off a string of events that eventually ended with teammate Eric Charles taking the legs out from Indiana shortstop Michael Basil on a slide into third base. Basil quickly grabbed Charles around the neck in frustration, and a wild melee from both benches ensued.
The two teams were eventually separated and pressed on into the bottom of the frame, where Boilermakers closer Nick Wittgren posted a 1-2-3 inning to give his team one of the biggest wins in school history.