May 17, 2006

Box Score

O' FALLON, Mo. - Missouri scored six runs in the first inning and Illinois was never able to rebound as the Illini fell 14-2 in front of 1,219 fans at the B45 Wood Bat Classic at T.R. Hughes Ballpark. Mike Rohde drove in both of the Illini's runs, scoring Kyle Hudson with a single in the sixth and Trevor Huisinga with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. The Tigers scored in just four innings but scored in bunches, putting up six in the first, two in the third, four in the fifth and two more in the eighth.

Missouri pulled ahead early, scoring six runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning off Illini starter Luke Obukowicz, chasing him after just 1/3 of an inning. Meanwhile, Mizzou starter Nathan Culp, usually a weekend starter for the Tigers, threw two perfect innings before being relieved in the third.

The Illini (27-25 overall, 13-15 Big Ten) were able to push a run across in the sixth inning when Kyle Hudson beat out a hot shot to third base and advanced to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. After an out, Mike Rohde singled to left, driving in Hudson to cut the Mizzou lead to 12-1.

Illinois added another unearned run in the eighth when Huisinga reached on an error and Hudson walked. Nick Stockwell collected the second hit of his career to load the bases and Rohde drove in Huisinga with a sacrifice fly to center, making the score 12-2.

The Tigers added two runs in the third inning off Illini reliever Andy Sigerich, touching the senior right-hander for three hits and a hit batter. Ryan Snowden broke up the combined no-hit bid in the fourth, dropping a single into shallow center. Snowden advanced to second on a wild pitch, but was stranded there.

Despite the score, Illinois had a couple of encouraging pitching performances by relievers, as Jake Stewart and Aaron Saving both had scoreless outings. Stewart struck out one in 1 2/3 innings of work and Saving threw a perfect fourth inning that included a pair of strikeouts.

Up Next: Illinois travels to East Lansing, Mich., for the final Big Ten series of the season. The Illini are currently tied for fifth place in the conference standings with Purdue at 13-15. Friday's game begins at 2 p.m. (CT), while Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's finale begin at noon. The doubleheader will be shown live on Comcast Sportsnet Chicago.