Feb. 24, 2006

Box Score

DeLand, Fla. - Four errors and seven men left on base were Illinois' downfall in a season-opening 6-3 loss to the host Hatters at the Stetson Invitational. Ryan Hastings led the Illini, going 3-for-4 with an RBI in front of 1,359 fans at Melching Field.

"It was our first time outside under the lights, but we should be able to catch routine fly balls," Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said. "But still, I saw a lot of positives. We played very hard and we were very aggressive on the bases."

Stetson struck first in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a pair of Illinois errors to score four unearned runs and chase Illini starter Brian Blomquist. With one out, Blomquist walked a Hatter, then consecutive batters reached on errors and the next hitter doubled to give Stetson a 2-0 lead with runners on second and third. A sacrifice fly plated another Hatter, then the seventh hitter of the inning stroked a double to right field to increase Stetson's lead to 4-0.

The Illini missed a golden opportunity in the fifth inning when catcher Aaron Ifft reached on a two-base throwing error by the pitcher and centerfielder Joe Bonadonna walked. Hastings singled to left, loading the bases with one out. But third baseman Mike Rohde grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Illinois got back in the game in the seventh with three runs on four hits. Rightfielder Trevor Huisinga started the rally with a single to right field, stole second and moved to third on leftfielder Ryan Snowden's groundout. Pinch hitter Lars Davis then singled in Huisinga on the first pitch he saw and advanced to second on Bonadonna's single down the left-field line. Hastings followed with his third hit of the night, driving in Davis, and moved to second on an errant pick-off throw by the pitcher. Rohde finished the scoring by driving in Bonadonna with a groundout to second, cutting the Stetson lead to 4-3.

But the Hatters extended their lead in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of runs after an Illinois error with two outs extended the inning. After a walk and an error, Stetson strung together three base hits to plate the two runs and take a 6-3 lead. That was good enough for the Hatters after the Illini went down in order in the ninth.

In addition to Hastings' 3-for-4 night, Davis went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI after pinch-hitting in the seventh inning. Omar Kadir had a solid outing for the Illini, throwing 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out one Stetson hitter.