March 31, 2006

Box Score

Urbana, Ill. - Iowa smacked two home runs and tallied five hits good for five runs in the first inning and cruised to a 9-0 victory over Illinois in the Big Ten opener at Eichelberger Field. The Hawkeyes, in the national rankings early, have now won six straight games to improve to 19-12 overall. Illinois falls to 13-16.

Iowa pitcher Brittany Weil (12-7)struck out nine and allowed just two hits - a second-inning single from Kisten Martin and a seventh-inning double from pinch hitter Kristin Schnake. Weil and Iowa were determined not to let Jenna Hall, the Big Ten's leader in just about every offensive category, beat them. The Hawkeyes intentionally walked Hall three times, including to lead off the fourth.

The Hawkeyes added two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh. Summer Downs roped a double to left, scoring Stacy May and Mindy Heidgerken to make it 7-0 after six. May's doubled plated two more in the seventh to account for the final score.

The big blows in the first inning for Iowa came from Emily Nichols, who doubled down the line scoring two, and Downs and Erin Riemersma, who had back-to-back home runs.

Illinois lost a home opener for the first time in its six years. The good news is the Illini have bounced back from some tough losses the season, defeating No. 10 Baylor 12-6 after being shut out by Tulsa and defeating No. 23 Virginia Tech after falling to Coastal Carolina among them.

Illinois completes the series with Iowa Saturday at Noon and hosts Wisconsin for a doubleheader on Sunday.