April 15, 2000

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. - The University of Illinois baseball team split its Saturday doubleheader with Michigan State this afternoon on the campus of Michigan State University. Illinois (26-11, 12-3) won game one, 8-2, behind a complete game from Ryan Kvasnicka before MSU (11-22, 3-7) came back to win the nightcap 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Jeff Gertz provided the offensive fireworks in the first game, nailing a three-run homer in the top of the fourth that gave Illinois a 5-0 lead. Gertz would later add a double and a single to finish game one 3-for-4 with five RBI. Kvasnicka (2-1) got the win after going seven innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out six. MSU starter Scott Brandell (1-6) took the loss for the Spartans.

Game two started well for Illinois as Rob Fischer and D.J. Svihlik connected on back to back home runs in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. It was Fischer?s team-leading fifth home run and Svihlik?s first of the season. But MSU came back to plate two in the bottom of the fourth inning and the teams entered the seventh tied at two apiece.

Illinois got on the board in its half of the seventh when leadoff man Andy Schutzenhofer was hit by a pitch. He was sacrificed to second by Ryan Lawrence and doubled home by Chris Basak. But that was all Illinois could get and the Illini took the field in the bottom of the seventh clinging to a one run lead.

Starter Mitch Walk (2-2) led off the inning by getting a fly ball from Spartan centerfielder Bob Malek, but Illini left fielder Rob Fischer dropped the ball and Malek was on second with no one out. Walk then walked Kyle Geswein before giving way to closer Matt Vorwald, who gave up a home run to MSU starting pitcher/DH Gary Zsigo. Zsigo, who threw the first 6 2/3 of the game, got the game winning RBI but not the win as Spartan reliever Domanick Squires, who had come in to get the last out of the seventh inning, got the win to improve to 3-1 on the year.

Illinois, 12-3 in league play and in first place in the Big Ten, and MSU square off in the series finale Sunday afternoon at noon central time.