April 9, 2008

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois exploded with an eight-run third inning, sending 13 batters to the plate, and seven pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout of Illinois College as the Orange and Blue won, 17-0, at Illinois Field. John Schlichter had a career night, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs, three doubles and two runs, and DH Daniel Webb had his third four-RBI game of the year as the Illini improved to 18-8 overall and 16-4 in their last 20 games, the team's best stretch since 2000. Illinois has scored 35 runs in its last two games.

Illinois opened up offensively in the third, pounding out seven hits, stealing four bases and capitalizing on one Blueboy error. Craig Lutes singled to start the inning then stole second and advanced to third when the throw went into center field. Kyle Hudson walked and stole second, allowing Lutes to steal home on the throw. Joe Bonadonna reached on a bunt single that put Hudson on third and Bonadonna stole second. Brandon Wikoff singled through the right side, driving home both runners, and Schlichter doubled to left-center, scoring Wikoff. Mike Giller moved Schlichter to third with a base hit and Daniel Webb deposited the first pitch he saw over the fence in right field for his fourth home run of the year, a three-run bomb. Aaron Johnson singled to restart the inning and, after a pitching change, Lutes walked. Casey McMurray drew a walk and Hudson brought home Johnson with a sacrifice fly to put the Illini up 8-0.

The Orange and Blue added two in the fourth when Schlichter beat out an infield hit and advanced to second on a throwing error by the second baseman. Giller walked and Webb brought home Schlichter with a base hit. Johnson walked to load the bases and Lutes lifted a sacrifice fly that drove in Giller for a 10-0 lead.

In the fifth, Hudson singled and moved to second on a balk. Pinch hitter Pete Cappetta doubled down the left-field line to drive in Hudson then advanced to third on Schlichter's flyout. Giller singled up the middle to plate Cappetta and make it 12-0 in Illinois' favor.

One inning later, Chris Montgomery singled to start the frame and Ryan Hastings hustled down the line to break up a double play. McMurray singled and Hastings moved to third on a fielding error by the right fielder. Stockwell walked to load the bases and Dominic Altobelli drew a walk to drive home Hastings. One out later, Schlichter smoked a double to right-center, clearing the bases and putting the Illini ahead, 16-0. Illinois added a final run in the seventh when Matt Dittman blasted a lead-off triple to deep center field and scored on Hastings' groundout, making the final margin 17-0.

Seven Illini pitchers combined on the shutout, with Nick Chmielewski earning the win after tossing two perfect innings of relief as the first man out of the bullpen. Chmielewski induced four ground balls in his six outs then Lee Zerrusen followed with a perfect fifth inning that included a strikeout. Wes Braun worked the sixth, allowing a hit but striking out one, and Phil Haig gave up a hit in a scoreless seventh inning. Mike Sterk worked around a hit and a walk in the eighth and Ben Reeser capped it off with a scoreless ninth that comprised a strikeout looking, a come-backer to the mound and a flyout to right to end the game. In all, the seven hurlers combined to use just 115 pitches, an average of 12.7 per inning.

In addition to Schlichter's offensive heroics, Webb was 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBIs. Giller went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and Wikoff drove in two runs. Hudson scored twice after going 1-for-2 with a walk and a steal, and Lutes was 1-for-1 with an RBI, a run and two stolen bases. The Illini have scored 35 runs on 35 hits in their last two games and are averaging 10.2 runs on 13.4 hits over their last five contests.

Up Next: Illinois opens a four-game Big Ten series with conference-leading Michigan Friday at 6:05 p.m. Kevin Manson will take the ball for the Illini while Zach Putnam is expected to put his Big Ten-best 0.56 ERA in conference games on the line in Friday's contest.