Iowa Delivers the Dramatics
Illini Runs Streak to 27;
Wolverines, Terps Triumph
By Chris Webb
Special to CollegeBaseballInsider.com
MINNEAPOLIS –
Entering the Big Ten Tournament after a weekend sweep by
Indiana put its NCAA Tournament status in question, what
appeared to be a much-needed win Wednesday for Ohio State
ended in a nightmare.
After receiving eight innings of one-run baseball from
sophomore right-hander Travis Lakins, Ohio State was stunned
by a two-strike, two-out, two-run walk-off home run by Iowa
junior Nick Day off senior closer Trace Dempsey, giving Iowa a
3-2 win.
“I
will just say that it was a great college baseball game,
well-played by both teams,” Iowa coach Rick Heller said. “What
an effort by Nick, and I thought [Travis] Lakins did a
tremendous job.”
The
nip-tuck affair saw Iowa jump out in front with a run in the
second, using small-ball to plate Kris Goodman, who scored
after leading off the inning with a walk.
Ohio
State responded with a manufactured run in the seventh. Junior
first baseman Zach Ratcliff dialed up a leadoff double before
pinch-runner Jacob Brobst scored on a sacrifice fly by Tre’
Gantt. An inning later, the Buckeyes took the lead with a
one-out home run from senior right fielder Pat Porter.
After Lakins completed the eighth inning in 1-2-3 fashion,
Ohio State turned to its all-time saves leader to secure the
victory. Dempsey retired the first two Hawkeyes before walking
pinch-hitter Eric Schenck-Joblinske in front of Day’s
game-ender over the left field wall.
“Really good college baseball game today,” Ohio State coach
Greg Beals said. “We don’t feel good about losing, obviously.
No moral victories, but really good college baseball game –
played well on both sides and pitched well on both sides.”
Porter led the Ohio State offense with three hits in four
at-bats and Ratcliff added a pair of doubles in three trips to
the plate. Lakins struck out six and allowed six hits in the
no-decision.
Day
finished with a pair of hits in three at-bats, ending the game
with his third home run of the year.
“I
got a couple fastballs to hit early, and I don’t know why I
didn’t swing at them,” Day said. “But then I was expecting a
slider and it was a pretty decent pitch, and I don’t know how
I got to it. I’m still in shock.”
Nick
Hibbing was the beneficiary of the Day home run, pitching the
final 2.2 innings and allowing just the Porter homer with two
strikeouts. Junior right-hander Tyler Peyton pitched 6.1
innings, scattering eight hits, allowing one run and striking
out seven without issuing a walk.
Illini runs streak to 27 in a row
The
Illini continue to find a way.
Falling behind 2-0, Illinois wasted little time leveling the
score, ultimately coming from behind to defeat Nebraska and
taking a third game within a week from the Huskers with a 3-2
victory. The Fighting Illini extended the nation’s longest
winning streak to 27 games with the win.
For
five innings Illinois junior left-handed starting pitcher
Kevin Duchene was locked in a pitchers’ duel with Nebraska
senior right-hander Chance Sinclair.
The
sixth inning saw the two match numbers again, but each team
tacked up two runs in the frame.
Nebraska struck first, with back-to-back doubles by catcher
Tanner Lubach and left fielder Luis Alvarado breaking the seal
on the scoring. Alvarado scored on a single to right field by
classmate first baseman Scott Schreiber. Unfortunately, that
would cap the output for Nebraska, which was limited to two
runs in a two-double, four-hit inning as a nifty 6-4-3 double
play ending the inning.
In
the bottom half, the Illini countered. Three singles and a
sacrifice fly allowed the Big Ten regular-season champion to
knot the score – senior second baseman Reid Roper and junior
catcher Jason Goldstein produced the RBI with a single and
sacrifice fly.
A
scoreless seventh followed, before Illinois scored in its
final at-bat.
A
leadoff single by Ryan Nagle and walk by Roper put the first
two runners on base. After a sacrifice bunt, Nebraska
intentionally walked outfield Casey Fletcher before DH Pat
McInerney dribbled an infield single for the game-winning hit
to score Nagle.
Illinois closer Tyler Jay needed all of seven pitches to sit
down Nebraska in the ninth. Duchene finished with five
strikeouts over 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs on eight
hits and two walks.
Sinclair held Illinois to two runs on four hits, striking out
four with a pair of walks in 5.2 innings.
Offensively, Nagle reached base safely in all four trips to
the plate, going 3 for 3 with a walk. Schreiber tallied three
singles in four at-bats.
Sophomores lead Michigan past Hoosiers
Powered by sophomore right fielder Johnny Slater’s
second-inning, two-out, three-run home run, Michigan knocked
off Indiana, 4-1 to open the Big Ten Tournament.
Second-year Wolverine Brett Adcock pitched 6.1 innings,
scattering three hits and allowing one run. The southpaw
opened the game with four innings of no-hit baseball and
picked up six strikeouts in the victory.
Indiana freshman left fielder Logan Sowers spoiled Adcock’s
no-hit bid, leading off the fifth with a double, and paced the
IU offense with two hits in four at-bats, half of the team’s
total.
Hoosiers senior right-hander Luke Harrison surrendered
Slater’s blast to receive the loss in his four-inning,
three-hit, three-run start. Sophomore right-handed reliever
Jake Kelzer pitched the final four innings, allowing one run
on five hits.
Indiana had opportunities against Adcock. In addition to
Sowers’ leadoff double, IU put the first two runners on base
in both the sixth and seventh innings. The Hoosiers were
unable to strike in the sixth but did get a run in the seventh
before Michigan sophomore right-handed reliever Mac Lozer
retired the two batters he faced.
“We
didn’t get the two-out hit we have the last few weeks,”
Indiana coach Chris Lemonis said.
After making a spectacular diving grab in the top of the
first, Michigan senior center fielder Jackson Glines went 3
for 4. Sophomore DH Carmen Benedetti added to his
conference-leading totals with a sixth-inning double, his 24th
on the year for his 66th RBI, in a 2-for-4 game.
Shawaryn lifts Terrapins past Spartans
In
the day’s chilly capper, Michigan State came out swinging a
hot bat, but Maryland right-hander Mike Shawaryn cooled the
Spartans, improving to 12-2 on the year as the Terrapins
defeated MSU 2-1.
Michigan State tagged the Big Ten strikeout king for four hits
(three triples) in the first three innings but was only able
to generate one run on a Mark Weist two-bagger down the
left-field line to score Spartans left fielder Cam Gibson.
Opportunities squandered, Shawaryn settled in as his team
rallied.
Maryland leveled the score in the bottom of the fourth when
shortstop Kevin Smith scored on a one-out grounder from
Terrapin third baseman Jose Cuas. Smith had reached to open
the inning on a fielding error by Weist at third.
The
Terps gained the edge they would hold onto in the fifth.
Sophomore DH Nick Cieri singled to left field to open the
inning, moved to second on a single by first baseman Kevin
Biondic and advanced to third on a flyout before crossing home
on a two-out single by Smith.
Shawaryn and closer Kevin Mooney made
sure the one-run margin stood tall. Shawaryn finished with
nine strikeouts, six hits and two walks over seven innings.
Mooney struck out two over the final two innings.
Sophomore left-hander Cam Vieaux received the tough-luck loss,
allowing two runs (one earned) in 6.1 innings with five hits,
two walks and five strikeouts.
Gibson and Weist (two doubles) led Michigan State with two
hits apiece. Second baseman Brandon Lowe was the lone Terrapin
batter with a multi-hit game as the teams combined for 13 hits
on the night.
Notes
·
All games were won by the higher seed.
·
The day’s action was pretty clean with only
three errors committed over the four games.
·
Indiana entered the tournament winners in nine
of 10.
·
Day’s walk-off home run was Iowa’s lone
extra-base hit of the day.
·
Four pitchers, Adcock, Lakins, Peyton and
Shawaryn pitched at least six innings allowing one run or
fewer.
·
Two games in two days will see rematches of the
final weekend of the season, Ohio State-Indiana on Thursday
joining Wednesday’s Nebraska-Illinois contest.
Thursday’s schedule
No.
6 Indiana (32-21) vs. No. 7 Ohio State (35-19) 9 a.m. CDT
No.
5 Michigan State (33-23) vs. No. 8 Nebraska (34-22) 1 p.m. CDT
No.
2 Iowa (39-14) vs. No. 3 Michigan (34-23) 5 p.m. CDT
No.
1 Illinois (46-6-1) vs. No. 4 Maryland (37-20) 9 p.m. CDT
