May 22, 2004

Box Score

Iowa City, Iowa - The University of Illinois baseball team used a pair of home runs and six RBI off the bat of Drew Davidson to grab an 8-6 win over Iowa in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City. The win moves Illinois to 22-31 overall and 11-19 in the Big Ten while Iowa falls to 18-35 overall and 10-20 in conference play.

Davidson gave Illinois an early lead in the first game of the doubleheader when he smashed his 11th home run to dead center for an early 1-0 lead.

That lead did not last long, however, as Iowa answered right away in the bottom half of the second when a leadoff double surrendered by Ted Rowe came back to haunt on a one-out RBI single off the bat of Greg Engel.

Illinois took the lead back in the top half of the fourth when, after Eric Eymann led off with a double and went to third on an error, Davidson smashed his second home run of the day over the left field wall to open a 3-1 lead. Illinois made it 4-1 when three batters later Trevor Huisinga smashed a double to the right field fence to plate Brian Raymond, who had reached on a fielders choice. The lead grew to 5-1 one batter later when Ryan Rogowski followed with a two-out RBI single to right that scored Huisinga from third.

Iowa added a pair in the bottom of the sixth to chase Rowe and close the gap to 5-3.

But like they did the day before in the top of the ninth, Illinois added plenty of insurance in the top of the seventh, as Illinois loaded the bases for Davidson, and all the junior from Des Moines did was follow up his two home runs earlier in the game with a bases-clearing double that opened an 8-3 lead and gave Davdison his fourth, fifth and sixth RBI on the day.

And like they did the day before, Illinois needed that insurance, as Iowa came back in the bottom of the seventh, using a bases loaded double from Nate Yoho to plate three against Andy Sigerich and close the gap to 8-6.

Rowe earned his third win of the year, improving to 3-8 on the year after allowing the three runs on nine hits. Sigerich got Rowe out of his jam in the sixth without further damage in the sixth, and Brandon Murphy came on with one out in the bottom of the seventh and was able to retire the Hawkeyes and earn his second save of the season.

Illinois and Iowa conclude their four-game Big Ten series Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.