| Game #3 / February 17, 2013 | ||||
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| 7 | 6 | |||
One thing I will say about Coach Hartleb is that he’s not afraid to let his freshman to take their licks in the early non-conference games. That was apparent Sunday with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. Frosh pitcher Tyler Jay had tossed two innings already but Hartleb put him out to the mound for another.
I was just commenting on that fact to my wife while watching GameTracker when with two outs in the ninth, Golden Eagle DH Brandon Thomasson hit a walk-off homerun to win it for Tennessee Tech. The 7-6 loss puts Illinois at 1-2 for the young season (Fighting Illini wrap-up and box score).
Indeed, plenty of freshman got their work in today. Starter Nick Blackburn also pitched his first game as an Illini. Unfortunately, the Eagles scored five runs (three earned) off Blackburn in 4 1/3 innings. Relieving for him, Rob McDonnell, who is returning from injury last year, lasted only a third of inning before walking in two runners. Ronnie Muck was able to get out of the fifth inning jam.
There was some offensive action on Illinois’ end too. In fact, it was somewhat of a rollercoaster battle before the unfortunate ending. If I told you a Parr was involved, would it surprise you? Of course not. Both Jordan Parr and Justin Parr collected two hits in the game. Look out for Michael Hurwitz (left), too. He’s already has two doubles this year including an rbi double in the 3-run seventh today.
It’s probably too early to talk stats this season but Justin Parr is off to a great start. He’s 9 for 15 with six rbis this series. Jordan Parr is right behind him with five rbis, hitting .375.
Random Ramblings:
Parents and other fans, if you’re a fan of Illinois Baseball Report’s Facebook page, feel free to upload photos of the away games. I love taking photos of the home games but my schedule/budget doesn’t allow for me to travel to many away games. I’d love to see some photos of the Illini on the road!
Next up: The Keith LeClair Classic is next up on the schedule. The Illini travel to Greenville, North Carolina Thursday. Their first opponent is East Carolina.