May 16, 2004

Box Score

Champaign, Ill. - The University of Illinois baseball team split a doubleheader with Minnesota on Senior Day at Illinois Field Sunday afternoon. Illinois won game one, 6-5, after Dusty Bensko laced a game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh and final inning before Minnesota recovered for an 8-2 win in the nightcap. The split moves Illinois' record to 20-31 overall and 9-19 in the Big Ten while Big Ten-leading Minnesota moves to 33-18 overall and 19-9 in the Big Ten.

Dusty Bensko gave Illini head coach Itch Jones his 200th career Big Ten win in game one of the doubleheader. Heading into the bottom half of the seventh down 5-4, Illinois saw Vince DiMaria reach on a lead-off single, move to second on a sacrifice and scored when Chad Frk followed with a run-scoring single that tied the game at 5-5. After a second out was made and Frk had moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, Drew Davidson was intentionally walked by Gopher reliever John Gaub to set up the force out and bring Bensko to the plate. Bensko, who had also single in the sixth, laced Gaub's offering into left field to bring Frk in from second and hand Illinois the 6-5 win.

Minnesota and Illinois traded two-run halves of the third and one-run halves of the fourth to move the game to the fifth in a 3-3 tie. Minnesota added one in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead, but Illinois fought back in the sixth, getting a run to tie the game at four. But Big Ten-leading Minnesota wouldn't give up, taking the lead off Gorski in the top of the seventh for a 5-4 lead that appeared safe when Gaub, who looked unhittable earning a save the day before, entered the game after DiMaria's leadoff single in the seventh.

Gorski went the distance in game one, collecting the win in his final start at Illinois Field. He allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits in his seven innings of work. UM starter Jay Gagner allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits in six innings, but Gaub's one run allowed in his 2/3 of an inning proved the difference, and he suffered the loss, falling to 2-1 on the year.

Sunday's nine-inning nightcap was close until a controversial home run call in the sixth inning gave the Gophers a 6-2 lead. In the nightcap, UM took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first off Illini starter Joe Ziemba. But Illinois continued to fight back, putting up a pair in the fourth on a Dusty Bensko home run, to tie the game at two. However, Minnesota answered in the fifth with two of its own to open a 4-2 lead, and then in the sixth Sean Kommerstad hit a home run over the wall in the left field corner with one runner on. After Itch Jones and the Illini catcher and left fielder argued that the ball was foul, home plate umpire Mark Denzin called the ball fair and Jones was ejected from the game. When the dust settled, Minnesota was sitting on a 6-2 lead. A Jake Elder home run in the seventh gave UM its final 8-2 margin of victory.

Ziemba suffered the loss for Illinois, falling to 2-8 on the year after allowing four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. UM reliever Brian Bull got the win, moving to 3-3 on the year after throwing five scoreless innings to close out the game.

Illinois returns to action Tuesday, entertaining Southern Illinois at 6:35 p.m. in the final home game of the 2004 season.