March 30, 2001

Box Score

Champaign, Ill. - The University of Illinois Baseball team defeated Northwestern (10-14/0-1) 5-2 this evening at Illinois Field to improve to 11-11 on the season and 2-2 in conference play. Illini ace Andy Dickinson threw a six-hit complete game to improve to 5-0 on the season and Patrick Arlis led the offense with a 3-for-4, two-run, three-RBI evening.

?Andy Dickinson went out there tonight and dominated,? Illinois Head Coach Itch Jones said. ?It was a well pitched game and it?s nice to start a series with a win, especially against a quality pitcher like we faced tonight.?

Illinois staked Dickinson to a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when right fielder Brady Ballard doubled, went to third on a ground out by shortstop T.F. Meagher and scored on a single off the bat of left fielder Rob Fischer.

After a scoreless second and third, Illinois added two more in the fourth. Fischer doubled to lead off the inning and scored when Arlis singled him home following a Luke Simmons groundout. Arlis then stole second, advanced to third when the throw went into centerfield and scored on a ground ball error off the bat of DH Kris Kopriva.

Illinois would add two more insurance runs for Dickinson when Arlis tagged his second home run of the season over the leftfield wall in the sixth inning with Luke Simmons on first base after a one-out walk.

NU starter Zach Schara suffered the loss, dropping to 3-3 on the year after throwing seven innings and giving up five runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out one.

Dickinson was masterful again, shutting out and two-hitting the Wildcats until the ninth inning when back-to-back leadoff doubles led to the two NU runs. He threw nine complete innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Dickinson walked one and struck out six in his fifth complete game of the season.

Illinois and Northwestern meet Saturday for a 1:05 p.m. doubleheader and are scheduled to conclude the four-game series with a single game Sunday at 1:05 p.m.