What a way to end a road trip! Not only did the Illinois baseball team win their last two ballgames but newcomer Thomas Lindauer won co-freshman of the week honors from the Big Ten.
After defeating St Louis on Saturday, I’m sure Illinois felt extra motivated to win Sunday’s game against Southern Illinois University. Coming home on a winning note is always good for the fan base. And win they did, taking the Salukis 8-2.
It was an strange game in a way. It was a pitcher’s duel for 11 innings. Then with the score tied 2-2, the Illini’s bats woke up and they scored six in the top of the 12th. Wes Braun pitched a perfect 12th inning (including two Ks) to bring the game to a close.
It was Will Strack’s first start of the year and boy, he really came through. It’s a pity he didn’t get the win. Through eight innings, only two Salukis got hits off of him. Will was pretty stingy with his pitches too only needing 86 for those eight innings. Once again, the bullpen did its job. In this case, it was Luke Joyce who pitched 2 1/3 pressure-filled scoreless innings. Matt Milroy, who got the official win, helped him get out of a small jam in the 11th and as mentioned, Braun took care of business in the 12th.
Offensively, Davis Hendrickson had three hits while Willie Argo, Josh Parr, Adam Davis, and Matt Dittman all contributed two.
Frosh infielder Thomas Lindauer (left) only had one hit but he seemed to help the team in so many ways. When all was said and done, he had 2 rbis and 2 run scored. Combine that with his performance on Saturday and that’s worthy of a co-Freshman of the Week award, so says the Big Ten.
Congrats, Thomas!!
Next Up
Illinois will try to continue their mini-win streak against Indiana State this weekend right here in Champaign. Friday’s game is an afternoon affair at 3pm. Be there or be square!