Nov. 27, 2014
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SANTO DOMINGO, D.R. - On Thanksgiving Day, the University of Illinois baseball team and Tigres del Licey Reserves of the Dominican Winter League finished in a 4-4 tie after the exhibition game was called after nine innings. Trailing 2-1 entering the ninth inning, the Illini mounted a comeback with three runs to take a 4-2 lead, but Licey managed two runs in the bottom half to even the contest at Quisqueya Stadium.
The Orange and Blue finally got the bats going in the final frame, as pinch-hitter Casey Fletcher legged out a single followed by a hit by pitch to sophomore Pat McInerney. Sophomore Matthew James tied it up 2-2 with an RBI single down the right-field line and advanced to second base on the throw home.
With runners on second and third, sophomore Ryne Roper blooped a single to right, bringing home pinch-runner Zack Kolakowski and James for a 4-2 advantage. The Illini notched three of their five hits on the day in the final inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Licey tied the game 4-4 on an RBI single and an error at third base that allowed the tying run to score. Los Tigres nearly won the game on a hard-hit grounder down the line, but first baseman David Kerian snagged it to start the 3-6-1 double play that kept the game a stalemate.
Senior starter John Kravetz turned in five solid innings, striking out three and only allowing two hits and a run. Reliever Doug Hayes came on in the sixth and worked two innings, allowing a run in the sixth and escaping a jam with two runners in scoring position in the seventh unscathed. Junior Andrew Mamlic pitched the final two innings and registered a pair of strikeouts.
Illinois only managed five base runners (three walks, HBP, E6) in the first five innings until junior Ryan Nagle tallied the Illini's first hit in the sixth on a grounder up the middle. After stealing second, Nagle was knocked in by McInerney's single through the right side.
Following the game, the Fighting Illini visited the local baseball field in Boca Chica, where the outfield wall was painted with the Victory Badge and the Illinois Fighting Illini Baseball wordmark. The team enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner at a local restaurant to wrap up the day.
Up Next: Illinois will have a full day of activities on Friday (Nov. 28), its final day on the island. In the morning, the Illini will play split-squad games against the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox DIL teams. In the afternoon, the team will take a guided tour of the Colonial Zone, which is a small town nestled in the capital city, Santo Domingo. On Friday night, the Illini will watch a Dominican Winter League game to cap off the week.
