March 23, 2007

Box Score

BRADENTON, Fla. - Lars Davis continued to feast on Spring Trip opponents, hitting a pair of solo home runs and going 4-for-4 to lead Illinois past Dartmouth, 7-4, to end the Illini's Spring Trip at the IMG Academies with a 5-1 record. Davis hit .680 on Spring Trip (17-for-25) with four home runs, 10 RBI, 10 runs and a 1.200 slugging percentage. Illini closer Jake Toohey saw his first action of 2007, starting and throwing three solid innings, and Scott Shaw got the win with six strong innings of relief.

"For his first outing, Jake was sharp," Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said of Toohey's four-hit, two-run outing in which he struck out two and gave up a walk. "He didn't throw a lot of pitches and was very efficient, so I was very pleased with that. Our pitching staff has definitely taken a step forward on this trip, which is good to see as we head into the Big Ten portion of our schedule."

After a scoreless first inning, each team scored single runs in the second and third frames. The Illini (7-8) scored first when shortstop Shawn Roof was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second in the second inning. One out later, second baseman Ryan Hastings drove him in with a single to center.

Dartmouth tied the game in the bottom half, but Illinois scored again in the third when Davis hit his first bomb of the day. But the Green re-tied the game in the third when Toohey gave up a walk and two hits with two outs, equaling the score at 2-2.

Davis struck again in the sixth when he led off the frame with a homer. One out later, first baseman Mike Rohde doubled to right and, after Roof moved Rohde to third with a groundout, DH Craig Lutes doubled to left-center. Hastings followed with a double of his own that scored Lutes and gave the Illini a 5-2 lead.

Dartmouth scored once in the sixth, but Illinois got it back in the eighth. With one out, Roof singled, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. One out later, Hastings reached on an error by the first baseman, scoring Roof and pushing the lead to 6-3.

The Green added a run in the eighth, but the Illini countered in the ninth. With one out, third baseman Brandon Wikoff singled to right-center. Davis walked and, one out later, Rohde singled home Wikoff for the final 7-4 margin.

"From a confidence standpoint, it really helps our ball club to get some wins under our belt," Hartleb said. "We all believe that we have a chance to be a very solid team that is competitive every day. This past week, a number of guys have settled down and have started to take off."

Offensively, Hastings went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Rohde was 2-for-5 with a double, a steal, an RBI and a run. Shaw pitched well in relief of Toohey, going six innings and allowing two runs - one earned - on seven hits and two walks while striking out five.

Up Next: The Illini have the weekend off before opening the home season Tuesday with a 6:05 p.m. start against Indiana State. The game will be broadcast live on WDWS AM-1400 with streaming audio and Gametracker available on FightingIllini.com.