The scoreboard says it all as Coach Hartleb exits the field after being thrown out
With Saturday’s 8-3 loss to Minnesota in the final game of the season, Illinois is now out of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament contention. Even with a Ohio State loss (they are tied 2-2 in the 8th inning with Indiana as I write this), Big Ten rules state that with if a three-way tie, the edge goes to the team with the best winning percentage of common Big Ten opponents. Unfortunately, that would be Ohio State.
Illinois never seemed to get going on Saturday. Starter Drasen Johnson pitched well at first just giving up a sole run in the first. That was until Minnesota unleashed three runs in the fourth inning giving them a pretty nice lead considering how things were going in this pitching-rich series.
Two run double for Thomas Shelton
DH Thomas Shelton breathed some life in the game in the in the bottom of the eighth, though. Down 4-1 with two outs and two strikes, he drove home two runners to bring the Illini within one run.
Milroy: Six walks in 4 1/3 innings
Matt Milroy was still on the mound for Illinois having relieved Johnson in the fifth. He was having some control problems but fortunately he was able to induce two double plays immediately after two of his walks up until that point. It was the ninth when the Gophers really got to him. They scored four big runs including a key 3-run double. By that point, it was 8-3 and the Big Ten Tournament seemed like a far-off dream.
Hartleb getting a word in with the ump in the ninth inning; it got him tossed.
Things fell apart at that point. Anthony Milazzo came in and committed a balk (though to his credit, he got us out of the inning without further dramatics). In the bottom half of the inning, Will Krug struck out on three straight strikes after a ball and he and Coach Hartleb both got thrown out of the game by the home plate umpire arguing the last strike.
Ok, my take on this? Hartleb may have been a little frustrated with how the game was going and the obvious outcome of not making the tournament. Perhaps though, he was stirring the pot, getting the team riled up and at the same time giving the fans something to cheer about. The fans didn’t disappoint. Way to go, Coach.
Unfortunately, the Illini were kept scoreless in the ninth and Minnesota won 8-3.
More of today’s photos here. Here is the link to the whole 2012 Illinois Baseball Gallery (including photos from last fall’s practice).
Random Ramblings
It was good to see Kelly Norris-Jones make an appearance behind the plate. He’s been under the weather since the Penn State series. That said, Alex Lincoln did a fine job this weekend both behind the plate and with the stick. Illinois has historically been a team where catching has been a strength and I’m glad to see that can come in handy. It will be good to have both of them back next year.
Justin Parr signs a ball for a fan after the game
I was happy to see such a great crowd for all three games. Considering that UI classes have been out for a while, Illinois Field was packed for all three games. We can partially thank the hard core Minnesota fans for that. They’ve got a long way to come but I wonder if they had the most fans here of all the visiting teams. Kudos to the Minnesota moms and their chants. I can’t help but like their enthusiasm.
Finally, just a hearty thanks and great job to all the players and coaches. The games were fun and exciting this year. At the very least, you kept us in it till the very end.
Nice coverage, Tom! Want to point out that the team wore their blue jerseys with the striped pants all three games and your photos really are from 3 different days!
Not quite sure why the Gophers’ coach (#14) got into it with the umps and was ejected. He kept arguing even after being kicked out.
Also, your gallery from today shows the Gophers brought their flag–I thought banners, etc. were not allowed at the field.
Last, but not least, we’ll miss the seniors. It appears the rules meant you didn’t make the tourney–you all played hard. The best to you on your future endeavors!
good catch. funny, I didn’t notice the unis. I always like the bright orange myself.
Maybe they were in the dirty laundry. :)
Also, I don’t personally begrudge Gopher fans for unveiling their flag. They only did it toward the end of the game when it was pretty much over. From I could tell, if they were blocking anyone’s view, it was someone from their group.
And thanks!
on another note, I love Milroy’s unique pitching stance. I haven’t seen anything like it.
he had a hard luck year but his stats beyond W-L and ERA are amazing.