May 20, 2006

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Illinois allowed eight unanswered runs as Michigan State took the first game of Saturday's doubleheader by a 9-5 score, but the Illini fought back and held on for a 4-3 win in the nightcap. The victory keeps Illinois' Big Ten Tournament hopes very much alive, as the Illini will spend the last night of the regular season clutching the final tournament berth in sixth place.

In the nightcap, Illinois got on the board first with a run in the first. Ryan Snowden singled up the middle and attempted to score on Shawn Roof's double to right-center but was thrown out at the plate. Roof moved up to third on the throw, however, and scooted home on a passed ball. MSU tied the game in the second and went ahead on a two-run homer in third for a 3-1 lead.

The Illini cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth when Snowden laced a two-out triple under the glove of a diving E.J. Daws in right field and scored on a wild pitch. Then, in the sixth, Illinois took the lead by stringing together four straight hits and a fielder's choice. Ryan Hastings and Trevor Huisinga recorded RBIs in the frame as Illinois took a 4-3 lead. Jake Toohey then came into the game in the bottom of the sixth and was lights-out, retiring all six Spartan batters he faced.

"Our pitching was very solid in the second game," Illini coach Dan Hartleb said. "(Starting pitcher) Tanner (Roark) stepped up big for us to give us a chance to win and Toohey was very composed after having three bad outings in a row. He had very good stuff today."

That win in the second game snapped a five-game losing streak and was the first time all season Illinois had won after trailing through seven innings, or five in a doubleheader game. The victory also improved the Illini's record to 15-5 when scoring first.

In the opener, Illinois gave up a run in the third but scored five times in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead. Roof bunted a ball that fell in just behind the pitcher's mound for a base hit and after an out, Rohde walked. Davis drove in Roof with a base hit up the middle and Hastings plated Rohde with a single through the right side. After a walk loaded the bases, Kyle Hudson knocked a two-out single up the middle to drive in two. Snowden laced an infield single off the pitcher's foot that drove in Joe Bonadonna.

But MSU scored two in the bottom of the fourth and again in the fifth, cutting the Illini lead to 5-4. Then the floodgates opened with the Spartans scoring five runs on four hits and a hit batter, including a triple and a homer as MSU took a 9-5 lead. Reliever Mike Monterey made that lead hold up as the Spartans took a 2-0 series lead.

"The offense did a good job in that one inning," Hartleb said. "But when you get a lead like that, you need to continue to scrap and get a run here and there to add to the lead."

After the day of Big Ten action, the tournament picture has become a bit clearer. With a doubleheader sweep, Michigan has locked up the Big Ten title and the tournament host duties that come with it. Northwestern will be the No. 2 seed, Ohio State the No. 3, Minnesota the No. 4 and Purdue has also secured a berth. That leaves Illinois, Michigan State and Penn State all alive for the final tournament berth.

With a win, Illinois will secure the final spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Should the Illini lose, Michigan State would pull into a tie with Illinois at 14-18 in conference play. The Spartans would win the tiebreaker as a result of winning the season series, but should PSU upset Ohio State, a three-way tie would ensue and the first tiebreaker of head-to-head record would not be applicable as Illinois did not face the Nittany Lions this season. That would bring into effect the second tiebreaker, which is, according to the Big Ten rule, "the best winning percentage against all teams ending the season (tied or not) in positions 1-2-3-4-5-6 in the final Conference standings."

Illinois and MSU finish the series Sunday at noon (CT).