Box Score March 15, 2008
Box Score
SARASOTA, Fla. -
Illinois posted a season-high 14 hits, but Miami (Ohio) was able to bunch their 14 hits together as the RedHawks took a 9-4 win at Ed Smith Stadium, the spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds. Center fielder Kyle Hudson was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, Brandon Wikoff, Dominic Altobelli and Joe Bonadonna all collected two hits, and Casey McMurray drove in two runs for the second-straight game as Illinois dropped to 3-5 on the season.
"We were out-executed offensively today and we didn't move runners," Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said. "We had some opportunities early to get on the board and didn't score. And our pitching wasn't sharp, and that goes back to needing consistency."
Miami got on the board first with single runs in the third and fourth before chasing Illini starter Mike Stankiewicz with a four-run fifth inning. Illinois fought back in the bottom half when catcher Aaron Johnson led off with a walk and moved to second on Bonadonna's single. Hudson's base hit moved Johnson to third and he scored on McMurray's sacrifice fly, cutting the margin to 6-1.
But the RedHawks scored two more in the sixth and another run in the seventh, pushing ahead to 9-1. Illinois looked to stage a two-out rally in the seventh when Bonadonna singled and scored on Hudson's double, but the single run was all the Illini could manage.
The Orange and Blue added a run in the eighth after Wikoff knocked a lead-off triple and Altobelli singled him home, then posted another in the ninth. Right fielder Craig Lutes ripped a lead-off double and, after an out, moved to third on Hudson's infield hit. McMurray's base hit scored Lutes, but that was all the Illini could muster, dropping the game, 9-4.
Bonadonna was 2-for-4 with a run and Wikoff was 2-for-5 with a triple and a run. Altobelli went 2-for-5 with an RBI and McMurray was 1-for-4 with two RBI. On the mound, redshirt-freshman Lee Zerrusen notched two scoreless innings of relief, not allowing a hit while striking out two and walking one.
Up Next: Illinois faces Akron Sunday at 9 a.m. (CT) at IMG's Academy Park 1 before taking Monday off.
