Month: May 2007

First of all, let me get this out of the way:

Yessss! All Right!! WOW! Way to go, Illini! Woo hoo! I-L-L, I-N-I!!

Whew.

Sunday’s scoreboard shows the incredible comeback by the Illini

Yes, the Illini won today. In a must-win game in order to go on to the Big Ten tournament, the University of Illinois baseball team did not give up despite being down by seven runs in the bottom of the fifth. They kept pecking away at the lead until finally the game was theirs. Kudos to all of the team members for a job well done against a very tough Michigan State team.

With the Illini down 7-0 in the bottom of the fifth, it was Nick Stockwell who gave us some hope. With two out, two runners on and a two strike count, Stockwell cranked a ball over the left field fence that hit the scoreboard. That made it 7-3 MSU.

Lars Davis was key to the comeback with 2 homeruns and 3 rbis

A homerun by Lars Davis and a rbi single by Shawn Roof scoring Mike Rohde in the bottom of the sixth made it 7-5. In the seventh, a base hit by Kyle Hudson, a triple by Brandon Wikoff and yes, another home run by Lars Davis made it 8-7 which end up the final score.

Reliever Jake Toohey allowed no runs in 4 1/3 IP

But, wait a minute, what were the Spartans doing all this time? Well, I’m not going any further in this article without talking about Jake Toohey, Illinois’ stopper in the bullpen, and his role in this game. Sunday, Toohey redefined the definition of a closer as he came in with two outs in the fifth… and closed the game out for the Illini. For the record, he scattered 5 hits and 3 walks over 4 1/3 innings and allowed NO runs for the win. Ice that arm, Jake. We’re going to need it in the tournament.

Yes, the tournament. That sounds so sweet.

The Big Ten tournament starts in three days. The boys have a practice day in Ann Arbor on Tuesday.

And I already have my train ticket reserved.

Go Illini!!

By the way, here are the photos I took at Sunday’s game.

Game Two’s scoreboard says it all

It wasn’t a good day for Illinois baseball. They lost both games to the Michigan State Spartans and it wasn’t really close. They were outscored 23-7 for the two games. I hope Coach Hartleb has some good words of wisdom for boys in Orange and Blue.

They need to win tomorrow to get a berth in the Big Ten tournament. But I’m feeling good about it. So good that I made my train reservation for Ann Arbor (it looks like the Big Ten tournament will be hosted by Michigan). So go get ’em, guys!

Brandon Wikoff welcomes Lars Davis at home plate after Davis’ homer in the first game…

…then Mike Rohde follows up with one of his own.

The one big highlight for our side were back-to-back homers by Lars Davis and Mike Rohde in the sixth inning of the first game which accounted for the only runs the Illini scored in that game.

Coach Hartleb debates the ump’s call of safe on Eric Roof’s inside-the-park homer

Eric Roof (yes, Shawn’s brother) who was 0 for 4 in the Illini’s win Friday got his hitting shoes on today. In the first game, he hit a deep line drive to center all the way to the wall. Centerfielder Kyle Hudson went for it and we all heard a THUD! as he hit the wall. Roof circled the bases as Ryan Snowden who was playing left picked up the ball and threw it in. The relay throw made it to the plate in time for a play. Whether or not, you thought Eric Roof was out depended on where your loyalties lie but important
thing was the man in blue said he was safe. Inside the park home run for Roof, his first homer of the season. You can be sure there were a lot a family members cheering for him then.

Don’t worry, folks. Hud’s ok now.

Meanwhile, Kyle Hudson was lying on ground in center. He eventually got up and stayed in the game. I talked to him between games and he said he just got knocked around a bit but nowhere special and felt fine.

Speaking of getting knocked around, Mike Rohde experienced pain in his shoulder when reaching up for a grounder in game two and had to be taken to the trainer’s room. He eventually came out and I talked to him briefly. He said he should be good for Sunday’s game. Nick Stockwell filled in at first for the remainder of the game and actually made some pretty decent plays.

Last I checked, the starters have not been announced.

I took some photos. Take a look.

Go Illini!!

Tonight’s game against the Spartans of Michigan State had it all. You name it… an injury, questionable umpiring, sibling rivalry, a comeback by the Illini. What a game!

Coach Hartleb passed by where I was twenty minutes before the game. I asked him, “Are you ready?”

“I’m ready but that doesn’t matter.”

Well, it looked like the players were too.

Eric Roof

The Roof family were all decked out in these cool T-shirts

Eric Roof got the start tonight at third base for MSU. He is the younger brother of Shawn Roof. Of the 812 in attendance tonight, half must have been related to the Roofs. A lot of them were wearing this neat T-shirt made this occasion. I introduced myself to one of the Roof clan and asked permission to take a photo of the shirt. I asked who he was rooting for. Both of them.

Good answer.

Tanner Roark got the start tonight. Roark has had really good luck opening up against Big Ten weekends but when he allowed 6 hits and 4 runs in two innings, I started to wonder whether Hartleb would pull him. Well, there’s a reason Hartleb is the manager and I’m just a two-bit blogger. Roark settled down and didn’t allow a run after that.

Mike Rohde’s homerun made it a whole new ballgame

Meanwhile, the offense had some trouble getting it going until they got their first hit in the 3rd inning. And what a hit it was! With two on, Mike Rohde toasted a ball over the centerfield wall and with one swing got the team within one run. Suddenly, it was a new ballgame.

The Illini scored an unearned run in the fifth and another one in the sixth on a Kyle Hudson triple putting the them ahead.

MSU pitcher Chris Cullen is in pain after taking a line drive off the foot

In the eighth, up by a run with Joe Bonadonna on third, Hudson hit a go-backer that hit MSU pitcher Chris Cullen on the foot. Hudson was safe and Bonadonna scored the insurance run. More importantly, the ball to Cullen’s foot was enough to take him out. Someone next to me said they heard the ball hit the foot and it was rather loud. Cullen was on the ground for several minutes before being helped to the training room. Here’s hoping it’s not serious.

That insurance run was pretty valuable. Turns out the Illini needed to cash it in. Jake Toohey, who struck out the batter to get out of a jam in the top of the eighth, gave up a double and a hit bringing MSU within one run. He then forced a groundout for the save.

Illini win 6-5!!

After the game, Shawn Roof ran past me and I extended my forefinger and yelled “One more!” in reference to the one win they need to clinch a berth in the Big Ten tournament. As expected, Roof wasn’t going to have any of that. “Uh-uh.” He put up three fingers. “Three more.”

As always, more of my photos are at The Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery.