Live Blog – Illinois Saturday DH – Game 1

Hoosier Ace Luke Sinnard takes the mound hoping to force an evening rubber match at Illinois

By Carl James @jovian34 April 15th, 2023 – photo of Peter Serruto hitting by Zach Greene

Bottom 9th: Indiana 6, Illinois 4

Infield pop up for out one, followed up by a single, and then a strikeout.

Top 9th: Indiana 6, Illinois 4

Three strikeouts for the Hoosiers.

Bottom 8th: Indiana 6, Illinois 4

Two quick out on a fly out and a ground out. A bunt single hits the third base bag. A flyout to Morgan Colopy in right ends the inning. Colopy was a defensive substitution for Jessee and swapped positions with Taylor who is now in left.

Top 8th: Indiana 6, Illinois 4

Taylor singles but makes the last out when picked off.

Bottom 7th: Indiana 6, Illinois 4

⭐ Tyler Cerny robs a single. Kraft walks the next batter on a full count bringing up Schroeder who gorunds into a 4-6-3 double play!

Top 7th: Indiana 6, Illinois 4

Game is moving quickly now. A Serruto single is all the Hoosiers can must. Indiana leads by two heading into the stretch.

Bottom 6th: Indiana 6, Illinois 4

A pair of singles sandwich a fielder’s choice to put Kraft into yet another jam. Then a strike-out, throw-out back pick from Serruto ends the treat quickly!

Top 6th: Indiana 6, Illinois 4

Tibbitts extends the lead with a solo shot.

Bottom 5th: Indiana 5, Illinois 4

Illinois gets a lead-off single, but nothing else in a relatively.

Top 5th: Indiana 5, Illinois 4

Hunter Jessee is three for three after several games not starting, leading off the inning with a single. Serruto replaces Jessee with a fielders choice and Cerny’s slump continues with a strikeout. Glasser slaps a single into center field to get a runner in scoring position for Bobby Whalen. Whalen fouls a bunch of pitches to work the count full, but looks a pitch on the outside corner to end the inning.

Bottom 4th: Indiana 5, Illinois 4

Ryan Kraft is the new Hoosier pitcher. After a quick out a walk and single has him in trouble. A ground ball chops to Pyne. Pyne has run into trouble with similar plays recently, but this time elects to step on the bag a just get the lead runner. The inning ends with a great play by Glasser on a short chopper.

Top 4th: Indiana 5, Illinois 4

Phillip Glasser has now reached base successfully in 35 straight games. He leads off the inning with a 3-2 single to left field. The Hoosiers could really benefit in this series by forcing Swartz out of the game. Bobby Whalen is hit by a pitch in the elbow. He’s in a lot of pain, but manages to stay in the game. Devin Taylor works the count 3-1, but fouls out to deep left field. Tibbitts get the lead back for the Hoosiers with a ripped RBI double to left field. Carter Mathison walks to load the bases and force Illinois to go the bullpen with one out. After a pitching change, Pyne grounds into a ground ball double play and Illinois has somehow managed to keep the game within one run despite a swell of Hoosier hits.

Bottom 3rd: Indiana 4, Illinois 4

Sinnard’s struggles continue with a single and then a four-pitch walk with no outs. A 6-4-3 double play allowed some breathing room, but a passed ball scores the runner from third. A walk and single has runners on the corners with two outs. A wild pitch scores another.

Top 3rd: Indiana 4, Illinois 2

Tibbitts gets on with a one-out single on the ground up the middle and advances to second on an errant throw. After Mathison is barely out at first, Josh Pyne rips a homer over the left field fence to give the Hoosiers back a two-run lead. Singles by Jessee and Peter Serruto represent the eighth and ninth Indiana hits of the game. The Hoosiers would love to get into the bullpen early on an 18-inning day. Cerny grounds out to short.

Bottom 2nd: Indiana 2, Illinois 2

This weekend’s Hoosier killer, Jacob Schroeder, hits a two run bomb over the left field foul poll. Luke Sinnard battles back, and strikes out the next batter on a full count. Danny Doligale rips a single into right field. Sinnard is frustrated and Dustin Glant comes out for a mound visit. Whatever was said was good, as Sinnard ends the inning with a strikeout.

Top 2nd: Indiana 2, Illinois 0

Hunter Jessee leads off with a Texas league single to shallow left field. Serruto hits a swinging bunt up the first base line. Both the first baseman and pitcher go for the ball leaving no one to receive a throw so Serruto gets a single. Tyler Cerny, who hasn’t had a hit in B1G play since the Penn State series, attempts a sac bunt, but pops the ball easily back to the cacher. Phillip Glasser flies out to center. Whalen strikes out swinging on a low curveball. In a painful reminder from Friday, another opportunity to score runs squandered.

Bottom 1st: Indiana 2, Illinois

Sinnard gets two quick strikeouts then plunks a batter on an 0-2 count. The inning ends with Whalen catching a fly ball up against the center field wall.

Top 1st: Indiana 2, Illinois 0

Bobby Whalen, Devin Taylor, and Brock Tibbitts get three straight hits to get the Hoosiers on the board first.

Starters

After a loud out Friday, Hunter Jessee is back in the starting lineup. That will make Morgan Colopy the big pinch hit bat available on the bench. Indiana will start their one true starting pitcher and ace Luke Sinnard (3.68 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) in the afternoon game. Freshman right-hander Jake Swartz (4.29 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) will get the ball for the Illini. Swartz is coming off a very effective outing in Illinois’ only win last week at Northwestern. He went 5.1 innings, allowing only six base runners and only one run.

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