April 30, 2010

Box Score

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois gave up six runs in the second inning and three more in the seventh as Northwestern took an 11-4 win in front of a season-high 2,805 fans at Illinois Field, the fifth-largest crowd in school history, on Friday. Shortstop Josh Parr recorded his third three-hit game of the year and first baseman Mike Giller homered for the second time in as many games.

"The double-digit scores always seem to come back to one particular inning," Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said. "We need to take care of business every game and every inning."

Illini starter Lee Zerrusen worked a scoreless first inning but gave up a leadoff home run to Northwestern third baseman Chris Lashmet on the first pitch of the second inning. The Wildcats added five more runs, including a grand slam homer, for a 6-0 lead.

But the Orange and Blue responded with four runs in the bottom half. Catcher Aaron Johnson reached on a throwing error by the shortstop and Giller lined a two-run, opposite-field home run just inside the left-field foul pole for his second homer in as many games. After an out, right fielder Craig Lutes lined a single off Northwestern pitcher Francis Brooke's glove. Lutes was put out on DH Thomas Shelton's grounder to the shortstop, but his double-play relay was wide of first, allowing Shelton to reach. Shortstop Josh Parr then lined a triple to the wall in right-center to bring home Shelton and center fielder Willie Argo laced a single through the left side to score Parr, bringing the Illini within 6-4.

Zerrusen found a comfort zone in the third, giving up only a line-drive single off his foot, as he posted a scoreless inning. He allowed a leadoff single in the fourth but the runner was erased when Johnson picked him off at first. After a ground ball, Zerrusen surrendered another base hit but got out of the inning with a grounder to Christian Cummins at second base.

The Illini looked to threaten in the fourth when Lutes singled up the middle with one out and both runners were safe on Shelton's grounder up the middle that the shortstop tried to flip to second but didn't toss it far enough. But Lutes was picked off second and Parr flied out to right to end the inning.

Northwestern got another run in the fifth after a leadoff double and a single by Lashment put runners on the corners. Lashmet was thrown out trying to advance to second on a pitch in the dirt, but second baseman Zach Morton lined a single through the left side to bring home a run and put Northwestern up 7-4.

The Wildcats tacked on another tally in the sixth after a leadoff error, a base hit, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to go ahead 8-4. They added three more runs in the seventh off Illini reliever Brian de la Torriente with a three-run homer by center fielder Arby Fields, his second of the day, to increase their lead to 11-4.

De la Torriente gave up a leadoff double in the eighth and was relieved by Mike Sterk, who recorded three outs on three pitches to retire the side. Giller knocked a two-out single to right but was stranded there.

In the ninth, Sterk got another first-pitch out on a grounder to Pete Cappetta, who pinch hit for third baseman Brandon Hohl in the eighth, but Sterk's streak was broken on the next pitch when Cummins' throw on a grounder from second was low, allowing the runner to reach base. But Sterk induced two more groundouts to end the inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Parr knocked a two-out single up the middle but Argo popped up to second base to end the game.

Parr went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run, and Giller was 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and a run. Lutes was 2-for-4 and Argo was 1-for-5 with an RBI and two steals. Sterk pitched two perfect innings, using only 10 pitches.

The Illini and the Wildcats square off in the second game of the series on Saturday at 3:05 p.m. Freshman Kevin Johnson will get the ball for Illinois, while junior Eric Jokisch will toe the rubber for Northwestern in a game that will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.