Illinois tops Baseball with six-run 12th inning

Sunday, March 20

Carbondale, Ill.

2:30 PM

Southern Illinois University

4-15

Illinois

6-10

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Illinois	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	8	13	1
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	3

03/20/2011 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

Box Score

March 20, 2011

By Jason Clay
SIUSalukis.com

Box Score

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Illinois scored six runs in the top of the 12th to take a 8-2, extra-inning victory over the Southern Illinois baseball team on Sunday at Abe Martin Field.

Southern had chances in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings to win it, but stranded runners in scoring position in each inning. The telling story there was that Southern had a base runner thrown out at the plate in the 10th, which would have won it.

Illinois (6-10) racked up six singles in the 12th to score the six runs and hand the Salukis (4-15) their ninth-consecutive loss.

"To pitch that well and make plays, you ought to win, but the story of the game was our three hits in 12 innings," interim head coach Ken Henderson said. "Our pitching was just outstanding. Our first five guys did an outstanding job and that's why we were still playing in the 12th inning."

SIU came into the game with 11 or more hits in each of their last four games, but struggled at the plate Sunday and had a season-low three hits. The Salukis only had hits in two of the 12 innings, but did draw six walks.

Sophomore Brad Drust started on the hill for Southern and pitched well enough to pick up the win, but drew a no decision as he left after six innings when the game was tied 2-2. Drust gave up five hits and two unearned runs. Sophomore reliever Austin Johnson was credited with the loss (0-2)

Illini starter Will Strack threw eight innings and gave two hits and two runs. He had five strikeouts and walked three. Releiver Matt Milroy was credited with the win (1-2).

Illinois took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, but SIU got those runs back in the fourth. One of Southern's run came home on a bases-loaded wild pitch and then Donny Duschinsky drove in the second with an infield single.

The game went to a pitchers dual after that.

After the third, Drust gave up just one hit over the next three innings and exited following the sixth with the game still tied at two.

Strack had retired 12-straight Salukis following the two-run fourth inning that saw SIU tie the game up and the Salukis went into the ninth inning with just two hits. There, SIU drew two walks, but were unable to plate a run and the game went to extra innings.

Southern had its chances in both the 10th and 11th innings to win it, but couldn't come through. The Salukis had a runner thrown out at the plate in the 10th and stranded two men on base in the 11th.

Meanwhile, Aaron Snyder threw a hitless 10th and Johnson followed with the same in the 11th.

However, after SIU missed its chances late, Illinois came out and ended in the 12th with the big inning.