Illini steal first-place standing from Spartans
Weekend series gives team sole possession of first place


by Nick Povalitis
Daily Illini sports reporter

Head coach Richard "Itch" Jones got what he wished for this weekend at Michigan State - the Illinois baseball team took sole possession of first place in the Big Ten, winning three of four games against the Spartans.

Jones said the Illini (27-11, 13-3) have started to gel, and he is pleased with the team's ability to respond to pressure.

"This weekend was really good for us," Jones said. "A lot of guys have been doing well, and now Craig Marquie, D.J. Svihlik and Andy Kvasnicka are really starting to come around. ... After the loss Saturday, the team bounced back well Sunday behind Andy Dickinson."

Sophomore Dickinson pitched seven innings and improved to 5-1 on the season en route to a 15-6 Illinois final game win.

"We wanted to come out and jump on them, especially after they won one on Saturday," Dickinson said. "I just tried to contribute as much as I could to the team, and we're happy we took three of four."

After two scoreless innings, the Illini had a seven-run outburst in the third inning, enough runs to secure Sunday's win.

Leading the offense were freshman Andy Schutzenhofer and junior Brady Ballard. Schutzenhofer was 12-for-17 on the weekend, including a 4-for-6, five RBI performance Sunday. Ballard, who was quiet in the first three games this weekend, scored four runs and was 5-for-6 at the plate.

On Friday, junior Jason Anderson pitched 8 2Ž3 innings as Illinois won 9-7, making him 7-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play this year.

The Illini offense gave Anderson a cushion early. In the second inning Schutzenhofer and senior Craig Marquie scored off of a double by junior Rob Fischer. A Marquie two-run homer and a Schutzenhofer double scored another three runs in the third inning.

After the Spartans scored three in the fourth, sophomore Luke Simmons cranked a two-run shot in the fifth, and Illinois added two more in the seventh, one off of a Fischer sacrifice fly and one off a Spartan error.

In game one of Saturday's doubleheader, junior Ryan Kvasnicka pitched a complete game 8-2 win. Kvasnicka allowed four hits, while striking out six.

"Each time I play, I get more comfortable on the mound," Kvasnicka said. "We just keep getting better every time we play. The dedication of this team really shows when we play."

Junior Jeff Gertz highlighted the 14-hit Illini offense. Gertz went 3-for-4 in the game and had five RBIs, including a three-run home run.

Michigan State struck back in the second game on Saturday with a late-inning rally to win 5-3. Fischer and Svihlik's back-to-back solo home runs in the second and junior Chris Basak's RBI double in the seventh gave Illinois a 3-2 lead that didn't last, as Michigan State scored three of their own in the last half of the seventh for the win.

After a Fischer error and a walk by junior Mitch Walk put two Spartans on base, Michigan State's starting pitcher and designated hitter Gary Zsigo cleared the fences with the game-winning three-run shot.

Kvasnicka said being in first place in the Big Ten is something the Illini like.

"The more pressure on us, the better," Kvasnicka said. "We know teams are going to be gunning at us, but I think we'll rise to the occasion. We really think we have something special with this team."

The team resumes play when it travels to Eastern Illinois Tuesday, before coming back to Champaign for Wednesday's showdown with University of Illinois at Chicago.