April 25, 2004

Box Score

Champaign, Ill. - The University of Illinois baseball team dropped a 17-8 slugfest to Indiana at Illinois Field Sunday afternoon, falling in its first bid to earn a Big Ten series win this year. The two teams combined for eight home runs, 21 runs and 26 hits on a windswept day in Champaign. The loss drops Illinois to 15-21 overall and 7-9 in the Big Ten while IU moves to 23-17 overall and 7-9 in the Big Ten.

Indiana took a 3-0 lead in the second when catcher Cody Wargo connected on his third home run of the season, a three run shot hit with two outs.

Illinois answered in the bottom half with two of its own. Chris Robinson led off with a double and came in from second one out later when Drew Davidson sent a double to the left-centerfield wall. Davidson made it 3-2 when he came home from third on a two-out Shawn Roof RBI single.

After Indiana rallied again in the top of the third, scoring four to open a 7-2 lead and chase starter Dusty Bensko, Illinois got one back in the third when Chris Robinson used a ground ball to plate Ryan Hastings, who reached on a lead-off walk. The Illini kept coming back in the bottom of the fourth, chasing starter Brian Lortz and reliever Dan Pezley for a pair of runs, one when Hastings drew a bases loaded walk and one on a Chad Frk RBI ground out, that closed the gap to 7-5.

Illinois started playing some long ball of its own in the sixth and seventh to claim a lead. Hastings made it 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth when he connected on his first career home run, and Robinson tied the game at seven in the seventh when he led off with a solo shot of his own. Shortstop Eric Eymann gave Illinois its first lead of the day when he followed Robinson with another solo shot, his third of the year, also over the right field wall.

Indiana answered with a pair of solo home runs in the top half of the eighth to reclaim the lead at 9-8, and Jay Brant put the nail in the Illini coffin when he hit a three-run home run off James Morris with two outs in the eighth to give IU a 12-8 lead. IU made it a four home run inning when Seth Bynum followed Brant with a solo shot to left to move IU's lead to 13-8.

IU added four in the top of the ninth for the final 17-8 margin.

Illinois starter Dusty Bensko went 2 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on 10 hits. Freshman reliever Brandon Murphy came on in the third and went the next 4 2/3, allowing a pair of runs on two solo home runs while striking out three. Murphy suffered the loss, falling to 0-2 on the year. Morris allowed four runs on two hits in 1/3 of an inning of work and Andy Sigerich allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits, also in 2/3 innings of work. IU reliever Steve Nielsen got the win to move to 3-3 on the year.

Illinois returns to action Tuesday at Eastern Illinois. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Charleston.