Illinois lost Friday night’s affair 9-2 but it seemed they were ready for revenge Saturday as they scored four runs in first inning.   That’s all they would need as John Anderson (left) pitched his third complete game in a row and led the Illini to victory 6-3.  Anderson didn’t give up a walk and two of those three runs were unearned. Brandon Hohl, Matt Dittman, Pete Cappetta and Casey McMurray all had multi-hit games on Saturday.

The rubber game on Sunday pretty much started out same way… with Illinois going out ahead.  They scored five in the first two innings and added three more in the fourth all before the Wildcats had a chance to get a run across the plate.  While NU did make a small effort toward the end of the game by scoring four runs in the last three innings, it was too little, too late for the Wildcats.

It looks like Corey Kimes put out a fine effort on Sunday.  He spread out seven hits and four walks in seven innings allowing the Wildcats to score only twice.

Pete Cappetta, playing second base on Sunday, had a fine day at plate.  He got four hits one of which was his first homerun of the year.  For the game, he drove in three runs.

Cappetta (left) was rewarded for his efforts this weekend.  The conference honored him as the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week.  For the weekend, Pete was 8 for 12 with five runs scored.  This was the second week in a row an Illini player was so honored as Willie Argo got the award last week.

Congrats Pete!

Random Ramblings

It’s amazing how different the Big Ten standings look after just one weekend.  Last weekend, just one game separated the top eight teams.  Not so any more with leaders Purdue and Michigan State at 10-5 and sixth place Penn State at 7-8.  As for Illinois, we’re at 8-7 which puts us at a tie for fourth place with Minnesota.

Don’t forget we have Ohio State coming up this weekend.  I don’t need to look at the standings… the Buckeyes are always tough in any year.  But we’re playing them at home this year, we have that going for us.  An extra bonus, Friday night will probably be the most attended game all year with the Bleacher Bum BBQ promotion.  So tell your friends and get out to the park this weekend and support the team!

Tomorrow’s game against Southern Illinois at Rent One Park will be the third time Illinois will play them this year.  It is also the last scheduled midweek game of the 2011 season. [correction: we have one game against Illinois College tomorrow (5/4) at 6:05pm.  Was that a late addition?  I didn’t see it.]

Starter John Anderson is on a roll.  He’ll go for another win this weekend.

This weekend, the Illini will be traveling north this weekend to take on the Northwestern Wildcats.

Note that Friday’s game will be an early game at 3pm.  Fire up Gametracker if you want to follow the game.

Northwestern is not what I would call a Big Ten baseball powerhouse.  They do occasionally have their years but this season they are quite in the middle of the pack with a 5-7 conference record.

Wildcat firstbaseman Paul Snieder is doing his best to keep the offense going.  He leads the Wildcats in homers (4), hitting (.368) and rbis (31).  Watch out for starter Luke Farrell, too.  Last week, he was named Big Ten pitcher of the week.  For the year, Farrell is 4-1 with a 3.25 ERA.  Interesting stat though… he’s given up 27 runs in 54 innings (not a lot of defensive support, I suppose).

Random Ramblings

Again, I don’t make predictions much on this website but I will say this is a prime opportunity for our guys to make their move in the Big Ten standings.  Absolutely no one is running away with it right now.  I’ve seen some tight races in the Big Ten baseball race but nothing like this.

and let me say this… that 2-1 series win against Michigan State was big.  Even a 1-2 weekend would the Spartans at 8-4 and in first place all by themselves.  And Illinois would be languishing in 8th place.  Every win counts.

Let’s go Illini!

We saw too much of this today

Illini starter Kevin Manson saw way too many celebrations at home plate, today.  He gave up four Wildcat homeruns in 4 2/3 innings.  Unfortunately, Manson was throwing beach balls as everything they hit was hit hard even the outs.  Manson has had some excellent games this season but this wasn’t one of them.  Five runs and eight  hits during his outing.

Reliever Mike Sterk (above) did a good job keeping the Illini in it when he came in with one out in the seventh.  He managed to get out of the inning with just a sac fly then pitched two scoreless innings. 

Josh Parr rounds second on Willie Argo’s homer

All things considered, the Illini did well to score five runs considering that they had as many hits in the game.  Four came on homeruns.  Josh Parr hit a two-run shot in the second to draw first blood for Illinois.  It was his first in his career.  Later in the game, Willie Argo also hit a two-run homer.

Argo also scored the other run.  It was an excellently played base running move.  With Christian Cummins stuck in a pickle between first and second, Argo, who was on second and probably saw nothing to lose, broke for home.  The throw was off-line and Argo was safe and so was Cummins at second.  Well played!

Kevin McMurray, Mike Altobelli, and John Lutes don their ninth-inning rally caps

The eighth inning Argo homerun did breathe life into the game and brought the Illini within two runs.  Unfortunately, the score remained 7-5 and Illinois lost the series to the Wildcats 2-1. 

It didn’t help that the middle of the order was silent.  The 3, 4, 5 and 6 batters in the lineup were a combined 0 for 15 for the game. 

And yes, in case you wondering, that  was secondbaseman Zach Morton who came in to pitch for Northwestern.  Morton pitched 4 innings for the win. 

Here’s the link to today’s game’s photo gallery or you can just watch the slideshow.

Next up

Two midweek games at home this week.  We’re playing Southern Illinois on Tuesday and Butler on Wednesday.

My friend Robin pointed out to me that there are only six home games left in the 2010 season.  This season is going by quick.

In Illini Nation, Craig Lutes is the hero of the day.  Yes, he’s in that mob of Illinois players you see in the above photo.  Not only is he the one who hit the walk-off homerun against the Northwestern Wildcats today to win 4-3 but he’s bringing a bit of hope to the beleaguered Illini baseball team. 

With one out in the ninth and the score tied 3-3, Lutes cracked a homer to right field.  It was his second of the year.

Pardon me, while I indulge you with a few Lutes photos from today:

Lutes readies himself to go into right field early in the game

With a smile on his face, Craig Lutes rounds the bases after hitting his walk-off homer

Lutes gets interviewed by the Big Ten Network after the game…

… then soon afterward gets doused by shaving cream by his teammates.

Dad John Lutes got his share of congrats, too

Craig Lutes wasn’t the only hero for today.  Overshadowed in the headlines of the walk-off was the fantastic performance of starter Kevin Johnson.  When Kevin is on, boy, is he on!  He spread out nine hits over eight innings and only allowed three runs to a team that scored eleven last night.  The only sin was that he didn’t get the win.  Not that Bryan Roberts, who is usually the save man, doesn’t deserve it.  He pitched a perfect ninth for the ‘W’. 

A couple other performances of note…

Key rbi for Cappetta today

Recently, Pete Cappetta has been coming in late innings to play third base, something new.  Tonight, he got a start there, giving freshman Brandon Hohl a break.  Pete responded with a key hit in the 5th inning which scored Mike Giller. 

Casey McMurray continues to produce as he banged out two hits.

So thank you Craig Lutes and company.  The phrase I heard over and over from the parents and other fans after the game was “we really needed this”.  That is so true.  Watching the team congregate on home plate and mingling after the game, I get the sense that there is an air of winning now. 

Now let’s win Sunday’s game!!

Check out the rest of my photos at the photo gallery or just watch the slideshow.

Giving credit where credit is due

Props to two Northwestern Wildcats…. CF Arby Fields and starting pitcher Eric Jokisch.  Fields, who had two homeruns last night, continued his attack today with a 3 for 4 performance including a homerun.  Fields is the Wildcat leadoff man.  Note to the Northwestern coaching staff:  you might want to move him down a bit.

The eighth inning notwithstanding, Wildcat starter Eric Jokisch pitched a heck of a game.  For a while there, it looked like the two runs that the Wildcats were able to produce would be enough to win the game.  Jokisch comes with hype but no doubt, he lives up to it.

Altos bring good luck??

Thumbs up from Papa Alto for a win

I was happy to see my friends Mike and Kathy Altobelli at the game today.  The Altobellis are the parents of former 3B Dominic Altobelli.  Dom graduated last year and was drafted by the Colorado Rockies. 

It was good to see Mike.  I really got to know Mike last year during Dom’s senior year and he really made coming to Illini baseball game that much more fun. 

Mike sent me a photo of Dom, by the way.  Here he is in a Colorado Rockies uni:

Mike tells me that Dom is playing in extended spring training right now and is still loving the game of baseball (of course). 

Just for kicks

Finally, I’m posting this photo for my friend, Robin who watched me get my timing right as the gum-chewing ump was blowing a bubble.  I finally got it.

And please, no hate mail from umpires.  I have the utmost respect for the men in blue who work tirelessly and get little accolades from the fans.  If they get any attention at all, it’s of the negative kind. 

But I do like the photo. 

Great job, Illini!  Let’s win this series!

Catcher Adam Davis was confident before the game

Tonight’s attendance was the fifth largest in history

Autographs were signed by players before and after the game

There was a ball drop from a helicopter and Olympic medalist Katherine Reutter threw out the first ball

With the Big Ten Network broadcasting the game, there was lots of media excitement…

… even the coaches were getting in on the action with in-game interviews

Mike Sterk and Doug Schumacher have a little fun before the game

Win or lose, we still get the fireworks

Here is a photo slideshow of the game and Bleacher Bum Barbeque including all the photos I’ve uploaded.

Not a pretty scoreboard

Well, the rains held off for tonight’s game against Northwestern (and the Bleacher Bum Barbeque) but the wind did not.  There was a stiff gale blowing straight out to left field.  Before the game, a few of us figured this would be a definite slugfest between both Illinois and Northwestern. 

Well, we were half right. 

Northwestern certainly got their punches in against the Orange and Blue.  They scored 11 runs including a six-run second inning against Illini starter Lee Zerrusen.  The Wildcats hit two dingers in that inning which pretty much set the tone for the rest of the game.  Wildcat leadoff man knocked two homers for the game and Chris Lashmet  had one more (I need to stop naming a “key player” in my weekend previews… they always seem to fulfill the prophesy). 

Mike Giller hits his second homerun in two games

After giving up those six runs, Illinois did make it a bit interesting by mounting a threat of their own in the run second inning.  Between capitalizing on some sloppy Wildcat defense and a two-run Mike Giller homerun, Illinois managed to put four runs on the board. 

Lee Zerrusen:  Rough second inning

Unfortunately, those were the only runs Illinois would score for the game.  Northwestern hurler Francis Brooke held the Illini scoreless for the remainder of the game.  Zerrusen settled down some after the second inning and pitched two scoreless innings before giving up one each in the fifth and sixth.  Northwestern added insult to injury with a three-run seventh inning.  Final score:  Northwestern 11 Illinois 4.

Josh Parr	Craig Lutes

Aside from Giller, Josh Parr had a good day at the plate.  He got his first three-hit game since coming to Illinois.  One of those hits was a hustlin’ triple. 

Craig Lutes came through with two hits and played some excellent defense in right field. 

Willie Argo Steal Count:  add two more… Willie’s at 30 now.

Here are the rest of the photos from the game.  You can also try out the nifty slideshow of my photos, too.

Game Two is Saturday at 3:05pm. 

Let’s go Illini!!

Friday’s game will begin at 6:05pm but show up at 5:00.  That when the fun begins.  Free food, giveaways, games, you name it. 

And oh yeah, we get to watch baseball.  Illinois plays Northwestern this weekend. 

The weather was looking kinda iffy this weekend but with a little luck, there is a chance we might avoid it.  Forecasts shows rains coming Friday evening and continuing till Saturday morning.  Not good for the Illinois Marathon which is being held in town on Saturday morning but perhaps the Illinois-Northwestern series can avoid some wetness.

Here’s my take on the Northwestern Wildcats:

All three games will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network’s web site via live streaming correction: it will be on their television network… even better.

Chris Lashmet’s numbers may not scream out at you (.294 BA) but he’s somehow been able to drive in 29 runs throughout the season.  Something tells me it’s not luck, either.

Northwestern is 16-24 but has somehow caught fire or at least played well enough to to win seven of their first twelve conference games.  In this crazy season, that’s good for a first place tie.  Don’t get too excited, Cats fans… I’m hoping Illinois will take care of that.  We’ve won our last five against them. 

The Wildcats aren’t a power laden team.  They’re opponents have out-homered them by a 2-1 margin.  But they hold their own offensively, otherwise.  They can run (35 steals) and do ok with the stick (.299 batting average). 

In the pitching department, their ERA is 1.30 above their opponents’.  That said, they have two or three guys in the pen who seem to have pretty good stuff so later innings might be troublesome.  Eric Jokisch and Francis Brooke are their two big guys from the rotation. 

FightingIllini.com’s take on this weekend. 

See you at the ballpark!

Good Luck this weekend, Illini!!!

Roberts was lights out as he struck out seven ‘Cats and allowed seven hits in seven innings.  Reliever Lee Zerrusen did his job as he pitched two scoreless innings to finish the game. 

Offensively, Brandon Wikoff was 4 for 5 with three rbis and two runs a double.  Willie Argo (stop me if you’ve heard this) continues his slugging pace as he hit a two-run homer to center.  In addition to Wikoff, Joe Bonadonna, Casey McMurray, Dom Altobelli. Aaron Johnson all had multi-hit games. 

Box Score

The sweep of the Wildcats puts Illinois at 30-13 and 14-4.  Michigan’s 9-2 win over Ohio State at Columbus in front of a Big Ten Network audience is big for the Illini.  It gives them a one game advantage going into the big series next weekend. 

And not to look too far ahead but Illinois will need every game they can get.  Ohio State will be playing last place Iowa the weekend after next.  My bet is that there will be lotsa Iowa fans in C-U then. 

Way to go Illinois!!!

With a 15-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Northwestern Wildcats rallied for nine runs to make it close.  Fortunately, Will Strack came in and shut the door on the ‘Cats, pitching a perfect ninth.  The final score was 15-12 Illinois. 

Cappetta:  Career game

A win is a win and Illinois certainly got some good offensive stats out of this game.  Pete Cappetta had quite a game.  He had career highs in hits and rbis.  He went 4 for 6 with two doubles and a homer good for 4 rbis.  Dom Altobelli, Josh Parr, Joe Bonadonna (who my daughter I found out today still roots for because she likes the sound of his name), and Aaron Johnson all contributed three hits to the effort.  Altobelli also had a homerun with three runs and three rbis.  Finally, Matt Dittman hit a solo homer.

Box Score

Ben Reeser did ok considering he hasn’t pitched for so long.  He allowed six hits and one walk in four innings but that only added up to two earned runs for him.  I honestly don’t know if he was taken out after four innings because Illinois management wanted to take it easy on him on his first outing back or if there more to it.  We’ll see. 

That’s two down and one to go.  Northwestern and Illinois play at 1:00pm Sunday. 

As for Ohio State, wellll… Alex Wimmers set the tone for the afternoon as he no-hit Michigan.  Yes, say those words again, “no-hit Michigan”. 

The Buckeyes won the secxond game 9-6.  We are again tied for first.

Go Illini!

and arggh I hate saying it but Go Michigan.

Illinois captured the first game of the series against Northwestern and did with runs to spare, winning 10-2.  Willie Argo, who has been on a tear lately, once again hit a homerun for the good guys.  For the game, Argo was 2 for 4 with three rbis. 

Phil Haig pitched one heckuva game.  In a complete 9 inning affair, Haig allowed just six hits and no walks.  Only one of the Wildcat runs was earned.  This puts Haig at 5-2 for year. 

Northwestern did actually draw first blood, scoring a run in the bottom in the second.  But that didn’t last long as Argo’s solo shot in the top of the third tied it up.  One inning later, Aaron Johnson gave the Illini a lead with a 3-run homer.  In the sixth, Willie Argo continued his offensive barrage by driving in two runs with a single to center. 

With a 6-2 lead going into the 9th inning, the Illini were relentless, scoring four more runs.  This was partly in thanks to singles by Matt Dittman and Joe Bonadonna and a sac fly by Brandon Wikoff but a hit by pitch and a throwing error by NU’s thirdbaseman helped too. 

That’s certainly good news.  And in case you’re wondering, the game between Ohio State and Michigan has been postponed till tomorrow when they will play a doubleheader (come on sun!!), 

Tomorrow, the word is that Ben Reeser is still pitching.

Go Illini!!