Despite giving up the first three runs to Indiana in the first inning, Illinois came back with a vengeance to defeat the Indiana Hoosiers 18-8. The Monday win seals a 3-1 series victory against the Hoosiers for the weekend.
Wow, what a day Ryan Hastings had. He was 5 for 6 (his first career five-hit game) with a double. He scored 2 and drove in 3. Freshman catcher Aaron Johnson had a game to write home about. He was 3 for 6 and hit his first homerun of the season, well college career. That was good for 5 ribbies.
Starter Aaron Martin was a bit off today, giving up 8 runs in six innings. The way the Illini were driving in runs, it didn’t matter. He got the win anyway.
Next Game:
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Game #26 |
Tues April 8 6pm |
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Record: 17-8 |
vs Bradley University |
at O’Brien Field, Peoria, IL |
No rest for the Illini. Tomorrow, they head on over to Peoria to face the Braves of Bradley University. Look for a team that can hit but perhaps a little light on pitching. Their ERA is two full points higher than their opponents.
Meanwhile, the Illini are 17-8 and 6-2 in the Big 10. Realistically, that record may take a dip this weekend as they face the only team better than them in the standings, Michigan.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here are the particulars on the Bradley Braves.
| Opponent: | Bradley University |
| Nickname: | Braves |
| Conference: | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Head Coach: | Dewey Kalmer (29th year) |
| Hometown: | Peoria, IL |
| Current Record: | 13-14 |
| Baseball Program website: | Link |
| Players to watch: | Colby Luttrell, Dan Brewer, and Jim Clayton are not only 1-2-3 in hitting, they have a bit of pop, too. |
| Team Fact: | Bradley’s pitching coach is none other than Mike Dunne who was second (to Benito Santiago) in the MLB 1987 Rookie of the Year voting. Dunne pitched five years in the majors. |
Go Illini!
Update: The Illini game against the Braves was canceled tonight due to weather. There will be no makeup game against them though their will be an extra game this Wednesday against Illinois College at Illinois Field.