Purdue’s softball team entered Sunday’s game against Minnesota aiming for a three-game sweep, and for the first three innings, it seemed like a real possibility. However, the Golden Gophers turned the tide in the fourth inning, possibly aided by an unusually efficient announcer jinx.
The Boilermakers held a 6-0 lead heading into that inning, but by the time Minnesota’s Taylor Krapf came to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second, the score was already 6-5. Max Bury, a Purdue student broadcasting the game for B1G+, acknowledged that it wasn’t looking good for the Boilermakers, stating, “To be completely honest, this is the worst possible matchup for Purdue right now.” As Gossett threw her first — and only — pitch of the at-bat, Bury added, “Just seeing Krapf at the plate, when the inning has already gotten out of your hands, you don’t want to see someone that can put the ball over the wall at the plate — and there it goes.” Indeed, Krapf took that first pitch and sent it soaring for a definitive home run.
“You don’t want to see someone that can put the ball over the wall at the plate… And there it goes.” 😅
Talk about announcer jinx on this 3-run HR from Taylor Krapf for @GopherSoftball 👇#B1GSoftball on B1G+ pic.twitter.com/8DquV5vIto
— Big Ten Softball (@B1Gsoftball) April 6, 2025
Bury maintained a humorous perspective, tweeting, “Sorry about that @PurdueSoftball” on X and later adding, “Sometimes the jinx is just too strong.”
Sorry about that @PurdueSoftball 😬
— Max Bury (@maxwellbury) April 6, 2025
Sometimes the jinx is too strong @gavinconnolly_ 😅 https://t.co/H8bQaIJ5OT
— Max Bury (@maxwellbury) April 6, 2025
While it’s easy to point fingers at Bury, the inning had already taken a turn for the worse for Purdue. Nevertheless, witnessing an announcer jinx unfold so rapidly is always entertaining. The home run proved decisive: Purdue did score two runs in the fifth inning but ultimately lost the game 11-7, making the jinx as effective as it was swift.
