There are good days and there are GOOD DAYS. Justin Osterhouse had a GOOD DAY on Thursday.
The Purdue Fort Wayne sophomore had what might be the greatest day ever produced on a baseball field: He collected five hits, clubbed four homers -- including a walk-off grand slam -- drove in eight runs, stole a base AND was the winning pitcher. That's all five tools, right there on display.
Osterhouse's big day, which also matched the MLB record for most homers in one game (the college record is six), helped the Mastodons overcome a seven-run deficit in the ninth inning, with his walk-off slam capping an 11-run explosion in the frame that produced a 21-17 win over Wright State.
But then, Osterhouse is used to swinging a game-changing bat. After his four-homer output on Thursday, he now has 15 long balls on the season, easily the most on the team, and a .607 slugging percentage, also the highest by a long shot. That follows a 2024 season in which he hit .355 and slugged .609.
Oh yeah -- last season he took part in the Home Run Derby X in Fort Wayne and hit a bunch of dingers to help guide his team, the Tenderloins, to victory.
So, perhaps a little advice is due opponents: Maybe pitch around Justin Osterhouse.