Wow! It was almost as if the #1 LSU Tigers offense was punishing the Illini for embarrassing them for Friday’s 3-1 win. In a game that was a polar opposite of that contest, LSU defeated the Illini today in a 22-10 slugfest at the Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA.
The Illini got off to a quick 3-0 in the first inning thanks in part to Aaron Johnson’s 2-run single. But things got out of hand in the second inning when Leon Landry hit the first of three Tiger grand slams. The Tigers had a 11-4 lead as early as the third inning. The Illinois offense managed to peck away but not near enough to make up for the massive amount of runs LSU was scoring.
Illinois pitching gave up more runs this afternoon (22) than they did in the first seven games combined (17). That will do wonders to our ERA.
Willie Argo
The Illini did manage to score ten runs today and we can thank rightfielder Willie Argo for much of that. Argo, batting eighth in the lineup, was perfect in every sense of the word. He was three for three with three homeruns. He scored four runs and drove in five.
If Argo’s name doesn’t ring a bell, it’s because it was his first career college game. If you think Coach Dan Hartleb is excited about this kid, you’re probably right:
"Willie had a tremendous day," head coach Dan Hartleb said. "I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone start off their college career like that. He’s a great athlete and swings the bat well, so I’m looking forward to seeing him in the lineup more often. It was fun to watch."
College baseball is often baffling. With the same two teams facing off in back-to-back days, you can have such different results. Tomorrow is the rubber game at 11am CT.
Good luck, Illini!