Today’s Illini loss to Michigan wasn’t as overwhelming as the two on Saturday but the 7-4 game still hurt as it meant a Wolverine sweep for the weekend. Illinois went into the weekend in second place and came out of it in fourth.
Michigan cruised to a 7-0 start by the fourth inning scoring all their runs against starter Aaron Martin. Illinois did make things interesting thanks to four hits in the bottom of the fourth compounded by a walk-rbi.
The relief corps did a good job trying to keep things close. Wes Braun, Mike Sterk, and Ben Reeser combined for four scoreless innings.
For what it’s worth, Illini pitching kept the big two, Recknagel and Putnam, pretty much in check. They were a combined 2 for 9 with just one rbi.
If you want to find the silver lining, at least we got the big gorilla out of the way early. Now almost every else has to face them. The two teams that have faced Michigan already? Iowa and Penn State.
Next up: On Tuesday at 6:30, the Illini will play Eastern Illinois at Mattoon. Mattoon is the high school home of Kyle Hudson and Ryan Hastings.
Blake Fairchild on the Illinois baseball team also hails from Mattoon just and FYI. He red shirted last year and just had shoulder surgery 4 weeks ago so is getting another on presumably
Thanks, John.. it seemed to me there was one more I was missing. :)
Ryan Snowden who graduated last year, also hails from there, I believe.