May 18, 2002

Box Score

Iowa City, Iowa - The Illini baseball team dropped a doubleheader at Iowa Saturday by scores of 6-4 and 8-5 Saturday to fall to 32-18 on the year and 14-14 in Conference play. In order to qualify for its seventh-consecutive Big Ten Conference Tournament Illinois will need either a win in Sunday's series finale or a Northwestern loss to Indiana in that series finale Sunday.

In the day's first game Illinois built a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Drew Davidson led off the game with a double and eventually scored on a Luke Simmons sacrifice fly. Illini starter Josh Gold let Iowa right back into the game in the bottom of the first, however. Helped by three straight singles and a pair of walks, Iowa plated five in its half of the first to take a commanding 5-1 lead from which Illinois was never able to recover.

Iowa added one more win in the bottom of the second before Gold was relieved by freshman Brian Blomquist who proceeded to throw five innings of shutout, two-hit baseball to give Illinois a chance to rally. Illinois tried, plating single runs in the third on a solo home run from Andy Schutzenhofer, fifth and seventh inning and leaving the bases loaded twice. Gold suffered the loss to fall to 2-4 on the year after allowing six runs on four hits in one inning of work. Iowa starter Matt Hasz earned the win to improve to 5-3 on the year after allowing three runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Dyson Miguel threw 2/3 innings of relief in the seventh to record his fifth save of the year.

Illinois pitching failed the Illini in the first inning of the nightcap as well. After the Illini failed to put a run across in the top half of the frame, starter Tim Gorski was tagged for four runs on three hits before being pulled for reliever Jimmy Conroy with two outs in the first and Iowa holding a 4-0 lead.

Illinois fought back in the top of the second to cut the lead to 4-3 after Luke Simmons led off with a single and Brandon Cashman was hit by a pitch following him. After Joe Parenti followed with a walk to load the bases and Sean Patrick struck out, T.F. Meagher hit into what looked like an inning-ending double play. However, the Iowa shortstop unleashed a wild throw to first that allowed Meagher to make it to second safely and both Simmons and Cashman to score. Meagher then scored when Brian Raymond, getting the start at second, singled sharply to left.

Iowa opened a 7-3 lead with a three-spot in the third off Conroy, and made it 8-3 with a single run in the fourth. Illinois cut the lead to 8-5 when Andy Schutzenhofer sent his second home run of the day and fourth of the season over the right field wall to score plate two runs as Drew Davidson was on base after being hit by a pitch with two outs.

Gorksi (3-2) suffered the loss after allowing four runs in 2/3 innings of work. Iowa starter Cory Hollenhorst earned the win to improve to 2-4 on the year after allowing five runs in seven complete innings of play.

Illinois and Iowa conclude their four-game series with a single game Sunday scheduled to begin at 1 p.m