CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois saw its 19-game home winning streak come to an end, falling 13-0 to Vanderbilt in game one of the NCAA Champaign Super Regional. The Illini committed a season-high three errors for the fifth time this year and lost for the first time at Illinois Field since March 22.
After a strikeout looking started the Super Regional, the Commodores tagged
Kevin Duchene for three runs in the top of the first, equaling his season high for a game. A pair of singles and a hit by pitch loaded the bases before a base on balls pushed across the first run. Vanderbilt added two more tallies on an RBI single and RBI groundout.
Vanderbilt made it 4-0 in the third when Duchene balked home a run. A walk and error at third base put runners on the corners initially. Duchene left the bases loaded in the inning.
The Commodores tacked on four more runs in the fifth, with three being unearned. A bunt single and throwing error let in the first run in the stanza and led to a pitching change. Reliever
Cody Sedlock took over for Duchene, as VU notched three more runs on an RBI groundout, obstruction call on a rundown between third and home and a two-out RBI single.
After a 1-2-3 sixth by Sedlock,
Rob McDonnell came on to pitch the seventh, giving up a two-out solo homer that made it 9-0. Reliever
Andrew Mamlic worked a scoreless eighth, while
Anthony Milazzo came on for the ninth. Jeren Kendall's two-run homer gave Vanderbilt an 11-0 lead, while a two-run double off
Charlie Naso provided the 13-0 final.
The Illini totaled five hits, as junior
Ryan Nagle went 2-for-2 and
Adam Walton,
Casey Fletcher and
Matthew James each had a knock.
Up Next: Illinois will square off against Vanderbilt in game two of the NCAA Champaign Super Regional on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPNU. The game was moved up three hours due to the weather forecast.
