May 7, 2003

Box Score

Champaign, Ill. - The University of Illinois baseball team used a pair of three-run innings and one four-run inning to defeat Eastern Illinois, 10-2, this evening at Illinois Field. The win moves Illinois to 24-21 overall while dropping EIU to 21-25 on the season.

"Overall, we played sound baseball today," Illini head coach Itch Jones said. "We did what we wanted to do. Our hitters had everything going for them today. A big thing was that we got everyone to pitch that is going to pitch on the road trip at Penn State this weekend, except for Joe Ziemba and Ted Rowe, who had class. We accomplished what we wanted to today, and it was a great effort by this ballclub."

After being rained out in its past two games, Illinois used its banked energy to jump all over Eastern Illinois in the first inning. Vince DiMaria was hit by a pitch with one out, and Andy Schutzenhofer followed with a walk before Chad Frk doubled both DiMaria and Schutzenhofer home. Dusty Bensko followed Frk by reaching on an error by the third baseman, a groundout that scored Frk to give Illinois a 3-0 lead after one.

EIU added a pair of runs off UI reliever Reilly Smith in the third inning to close the gap to 3-2, but Illinois got it all back and more in the bottom half of the inning. Illinois plated four in the bottom of the third, sending nine batters to the plate. Frk and catcher Sean Patrick both singled in runs, and Trevor Huisinga and Joe Parenti both picked up RBI's when EIU walked in Frk and Bensko with the bases loaded.

The Illini added three more in the bottom of the fifth. Frk led off the inning being hit by a pitch, and Bensko followed with a towering home run to dead center that opened a 9-2 lead. Illinois made it a clean 10 later in the inning when Joe Parenti, who hit a two-out double, scored when second baseman Brian Raymond followed with a double of his own.

Josh Lane worked two innings to earn the win. He did not allow a run in two innings of work while walking one and striking out one in improving to 5-1 on the season. EIU starter Mike Budde suffered the loss, falling to 1-4 on the year, after allowing seven runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings of work.

Illinois returns to action this weekend in a crucial four-game Big Ten series against Penn State in State College, Pa., Friday-Sunday.