It couldn’t get any better today for the University of Illinois.
With Illinois going against Michigan in a doubleheader, I had Gametracker going on all day today. When the Illini won the first in extras that was great. When they won the second game behind a solid performance by Scott Shaw, I was ecstatic. I even woke up my wife with my hoots and hollering.
Not only is Michigan first in the conference but they are #13 in the nation. And as I noted before, Illinois will be fighting for the chance to compete in the Big Ten Tournament. The doubleheader sweep didn’t move them up in the standings but it does widen the gap between them and seventh place Purdue.
Highlights from the first game include Mike Rohde homerun with 2 rbis, Joe Bonadonna went 2 for 2 with 2 runs and Shawn Roof was 2 for 4 with run and a rbi. The game was tied after seven and in the top of the eighth, Key hits by Ryan Snowden and Kyle Hudson were key to a three run rally.
In Game 2, the Illini were dominant from the start. In the first, Five hits including a homer by Ryan Hastings put Illinois 5 runs ahead. That pretty much sealed the victory right there though Michigan did manage to score 3 runs in the 4th inning. Scott Shaw got the complete game victory.
There’s one more game against Michigan tomorrow. Good luck, Illini!!
Update: The Illini fell in Sunday’s game 10-5. A good series split nonetheless! Nice going, guys!
I believe Brian from Big Ten Hardball was attending the series this weekend so I’m looking forward to hearing about it from him. I’ll post any links once their available.
By the way, just so this doesn’t fall by the wayside, Lars Davis is now in national contention for the 2007 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award. Good luck, Lars!!