IU swept in critical series in Illinois

After a disappointing weekend, the phrase “wait ‘til next year” has become all but embraced by the Hoosier baseball team. IU dropped all four games against Illinois, bringing their record to a dismal 6-21 in the Big Ten, 17-33 overall. \nIU started their final conference road series strong on Friday at Illinois Field. The Hoosiers got three on the board during the top of the first when designated hitter Jon Fixler and sophomore right fielder Chris Hervey both batted in RBI singles. Freshman first baseman Brad Henke singled, scoring Fixler. The strong lead didn’t last long, as the Illini brought it within one during the third on a Hoosier error. \nThe Hoosiers managed another run in the fifth inning, but the Illini took the lead during the sixth when they managed a four-hit inning. The game was tied 4-4 when Illinois shortstop Shawn Roof got an RBI single. Soon after, second baseman Ryan Hastings hit a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 6-4. The Hoosiers scored their fifth run during the seventh inning when centerfielder Andrew Means batted in second baseman Keith Haas. \nSaturday’s doubleheader started off rough for IU, who did not score during the first game. The Illini had their first run of the game in the first, when Brandon Wikoff got on base with a single and was eventually driven in when Mike Rohde singled through the right side. The second inning was the most promising for the Hoosiers. They had two hits, their most in an inning during the course of the game. Despite the hits, the team left three men on base and failed to score. The Illini managed another two runs in the second, and won the game 3-0.\nThe second game of the doubleheader looked promising for IU when they got the first run of the game during the second inning. Designated hitter Reid Briglia was hit by a pitch to get him on base, and he advanced to third when Henke singled through the right side. He scored on a sacrifice bunt by third baseman Billy O’Conner. The Hoosiers scored another run during the third when Evan Crawford doubled and reached third on a ground out by Mack. Haas drove him in with a sac fly to bring the score to 2-0. IU did not score again in the game.\nIllinois began their charge toward the win in the third inning, scoring a run when left fielder Joe Bonadonna stole third and scored on a single by Ryan Snowden. IU only saw significant action during the fifth inning, when they got two hits. They failed to notch any more hits during the course of the game.\nThe Illini exploded for four runs in the sixth. Catcher Lars Davis singled to center field and reached second on a single by Rohde. Then designated hitter Daniel Webb singled to right field, scoring Davis. IU pitcher. Chris Squires replaced Matt Bashore for the Hoosiers on the mound, and his first pitch resulted in an RBI for Roof. The last run of the game scored by Illinois came on a wild pitch, plating Roof and moving Hastings to second.\nThe fourth and final game of the series was played on Sunday, and the previous three games took their toll on the team. The Hoosiers were unable to hold off the Illini, who won the game 7-2. \nIU managed a run in the first inning, which was overshadowed during the bottom of the inning by Illinois’ three runs on two hits. Davis singled out to right field, and moved second when IU pitcher Eric Arnett walked Rohde. The next two hitters were no better for Arnett, who walked Webb to load the bases and then hit Roof to score Davis. Hastings singled and was thrown out at second, but Webb and Rohde both scored. \nIU had some luck in the third inning when they got two runs on three hits. Mack singled and was sent to second by a single from Haas. He was thrown out at third after Crawford bunted into a fielder’s choice. Both Crawford and Haas advanced a base on an error by the second baseman, and scored on a single by Fixler. Despite the runs, the Illini sealed the win during the fifth after scoring three runs on three hits. The Hoosiers had two errors. \nGoing into the weekend, the Illini were the sixth-ranked team in the Big Ten, which is the lowest ranking a team can have to be included in the Big Ten championships. The Hoosiers were ranked tenth.