May 21, 2000

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Illinois baseball team defeated Penn State, 5-3, in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2000 NCAA Baseball Championships. Illini ace Jason Anderson (13-3) threw nine complete innings, allowing only three runs (two earned) to win the championship game on three days of rest after throwing 12 innings in Illinois' 6-2 game one win over Purdue. Illinois takes its first Big Ten Tournament championship since the team won back to back tournaments in 1989 and '90.

"I've never had the opportunity to win a championship game for us," Anderson said. "It felt good to go out and give the team a good effort. I was a little nervous after giving up two early runs, but the offense picked me up to give us the lead and I just tried to shut Penn State down after that."

Anderson, who collected his 13th win of the season to tie the Illinois single season wins record, was named the tournament's most outstanding player after setting tournament records for wins (2) and innings pitched (20) while winning the first and last game of the tournament for Illinois. He improves to 28-5 in his three-year career and an undefeated 4-0 in the postseason in his career.

Penn State jumped on Anderson for two runs in the first inning as leadoff man Michael Campo, the Big Ten Player of the Year, doubled to left to lead off the game. He scored on an RBI single from Nittany Lion DH Donnie Wright and then PSU catcher Chris Netwall laid down a suicide squeeze to score Shawn Fagan, who had reached on a walk.

Illinois struck for the first time in the fourth as All-Big Ten first baseman Andy Schutzenhofer sent a leadoff double of his own to left off PSU starter Pete Yodis. After D.J. Svihlik singled and advanced Schutzenhofer to third, he scored when Jeff Gertz hit into a double play.

PSU answered with a single run of its own when Schutzenhofer made an error at first base. But that was all Anderson, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, would yield. Anderson, 13-3 in 2000, tied the Illinois single season record for wins in a single season.

Illinois came back to tie the game at three with two runs in the sixth inning. Senior Craig Marquie lead off with a walk and advanced to second on a Luke Simmons single. Schutzenhofer then sacrificed the runners to second and third and senior D.J. Svihlik collected a two-RBI single on a line drive to center.

Illinois grabbed the lead for the first time in the eighth inning when Schutzenhofer lead off with a walk. Svihlik sacrificed him to second, and catcher Jeff Gertz collected the winning RBI with a double down the left field line off Nittany Lion reliever Kevin Damiano (1-2). Illinois got its insurance run in the ninth inning when Brady Ballard collected a lead off walk, advanced to second on a Marquie sacrifice and scored on a Simmons single.

Illinois, 40-21 in 2000, will wait until Monday's selection show (2 p.m., ESPN) to find out where it will be sent for the regional. The last time Illinois advanced to the regional was in 1998, when Illinois reached the championship game of the South I Regional in Gainesville, Florida.