April 19, 2003

Box Score

Champaign, Ill. - The University of Illinois baseball team batted around three times, got its first grand slam in two seasons and smashed 17 hits en route to a 21-2 win over Minnesota to complete a sweep of the Saturday doubleheader from the University of Minnesota this evening at Illinois Field. The win improves Illinois' overall record to 20-13 and 8-7 in the Big Ten while Minnesota falls to 22-13 overall and 11-2 in Conference play.

Illinois took its momentum from game one and jumped on Minnesota right away in the first inning, as Andy Schutzenhofer singled and scored all the way from first when Drew Davidson reached on a throwing error by the Minnesota third baseman.

Illinois added to its lead in the second off Minnesota starter Jay Gagner. Third baseman Chad Frk sent a one-out single up the middle, went to third on a Sean Patrick single and scored when Eric Eymann sent a two-out RBI single to left field.

The third inning saw much of the same as the Illini used its first squeeze play of the year to increase the lead to 3-0. Davidson, who reached on a one-out triple, scored when Dusty Bensko followed with a squeeze bunt down the third base line that he ended up beating out for a single. The lead grew to 5-0 later in the inning when right fielder Vince DiMaria smashed a two-run home run, the first of his career, over the left field wall.

Illinois kept the pressure coming to Gagner, continuing the two-out rally after DiMaria's homer. Chad Frk singled up the middle and scored all the way from first when catcher Sean Patrick saw a single of his own drop into left to hand Illinois a 6-0 lead. After Eric Eymann singled, Minnesota went to the bullpen for Andy Peters, who retired Meagher to end the inning but not before catcher Jake Elder let a ball get by him, allowing Patrick to scamper home with the inning's fifth run that opened a 7-0 lead.

After Illini starter Joe Ziemba allowed a single run in the top of the fourth, Illinois kept pouring on the runs in the bottom half of the inning, batting around for the second straight inning. Schutzenhofer was hit by a pitch to lead things off, and Davidson followed with a single to right. Schutzenhofer came around to score when Brandon Cashman hit a seeming sac fly to center, but reached safely when the Minnesota center fielder dropped the ball. DiMaria followed with a single of his own that plated Davidson, and both Cashman and DiMaria came around to score when Frk followed with a single up the middle that opened an 11-1 lead and chased Peters in favor of Nate Broehm.

After Broehm retired Sean Patrick, Eric Eymann tripled to the right-center field wall, scoring Frk, before coming home on a wild pitch that handed Illinois a 13-1 lead heading into the fifth inning.

Illinois batted around for the third straight inning in the fifth. A pair of walks to Schutzenhofer and Joe Parenti, who came into the game for Davidson, and a single from Bensko loaded the bases with no one out for Cashman, who smashed a double to right that plated both Schutzenhofer and Parenti. RBI's from Frk, who hit a sac fly, and pinch hitter Brian Raymond, who drew a bases loaded walk, scored Bensko and Cashman and opened a 17-1 lead.

The lead grew to 21-1 quickly when Minnesota went to its bullpen for Tim Theis to face Schutzenhofer with the bases loaded. The Illini senior responded in grand fashion, smashing Illinois' first grand slam in two years over the left field wall.

Ziemba won for the fourth straight time in Conference play, improving his record to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten. He threw seven complete innings, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out one. He did not walk a batter. UM starter Jay Gagner suffered the loss, falling to 3-3 on the year after allowing five runs on 10 hits.

Illinois concludes its series with Minnesota with a single nine inning game with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

Game Notes 1. Andy Schutzenhofer's fifth inning grand slam was Illinois' first in over two seasons and the first of the senior's career. The last grand slam hit by an Illini was in 2001 by Patrick Arlis against Northwestern. 2. Schutzenhofer's 2-for-3, four-run, four-RBI game moved him into seventh place on Illinois' career RBI list with 167 career RBI.