May 10, 2003

Box Score

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Illinois baseball team kept its post-season hopes alive after Joe Ziemba pitched a complete game, three-hit gem on Saturday to lift Illinois to a 3-0 win over Penn State in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader in State College, Pa.

Ziemba was dominant in his start of game two on Saturday. The junior pitched all-seven innings, while striking out a pair and scattering three hits. Illinois got all the runs they needed in the top of the first as freshman Eric Eymann opened the game with a leadoff double. A sacrifice fly by Andy Schutzenhofer brought Eymann around to score and the Illini jumped ahead 1-0. Two-out singles by Chad Frk and Brandon Cashman put runners at the corners, for Sean Patrick, who drove in the Illinois' second run of the inning with a single to right.

From that point on, Illinois turned the reigns over to Ziemba, who was very efficient in his approach. The junior consistently got ahead of Nittany Lion hitters and allowed very few Penn State base runners to reach scoring position. Ziemba did walk four batters on the day, which was uncharacteristic for the junior who entered today's game with a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio. Coming in, the Darien, Ill., native had allowed just seven walks, compared to 29 strikeouts. Ziemba allowed a pair of two-out walks in the first, one in the fifth and another in the sixth, but never allowed a PSU runner to reach third as he improved his record to 6-2 and stopped a two-game losing skid for the Illini.

Illinois added an insurance run in the seventh (the final inning of the doubleheader) as Joe Parenti opened the inning with a single and Brian Raymond moved him to third with a slap single to left against a drawn-in Penn State infield. Parenti scored after Eymann grounded into a 6-4-3 double play and that was all she wrote for Penn State.

Aaron Tressler got the loss for Penn State and fell to 2-4 on the year, but pitched well in his seven innings. Tressler allowed three runs on 10 hits while striking out two.

Illinois improved to 25-23, 10-16 in Big Ten play, while Penn State fell to 22-24 overall, 14-13 in the conference.

The Illini dropped game one of the double header 3-2 to the Nittany Lions, despite an impressive two-out rally to tie the game in the fifth. Sean Patrick started the rally after he was hit by a Josh Palm curve ball. In fact, it was the second time Palm hit Patrick on the day as the senior was also hit in the third inning.

Following a foul out by Brian Raymond, Eric Eymann and Drew Davidson responded with two-out singles, with Davidson's base knock scoring Patrick from second. Senior Andy Schutzenhofer followed Davidson with his first hit of the series to drive in Eyman and tie the game at 2-2.

Penn State took the lead in the bottom half of the inning after Zack Smithlin led off with a bunt down the third-base line. The throw to first got past Schutzenhofer, which allowed Smithlin to advance to second base. A sacrifice bunt by Derrick Barr moved Smithlin to third and a sacrifice fly by Wes Reohr pushed the eventual winning run across the plate.

Illinois got the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, but were unable to score.

Illinois and Penn State wrap up the four-game series on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 10 a.m. CDT.