 |
 |
Castellanos and Kravetz get the job done
Thanks to a pair of solid pitching performances by Ryan Castellanos and John Kravetz as well as some offensive support from the hitting crew, the Illinois baseball team swept the Xavier Musketeers in today’s doubleheader. Both Castellanos and Kravetz improved their records to 2-1 for the season. Meanwhile right fielder Casey Fletcher hit his first homerun as an Illini and shortstop Adam Walton went five for five for the day.
The doubleheader sweep evens the Illini record at 10-10 for the 2014 season.
| Game #19 / March 22, 2014 Game 1 |
||||
 |
vs |  |
||
|
6 |
1 | |||
Ryan Castellanos was really on his game today. He didn’t allow an Xavier run for the first seven innings, spreading out four hits and no walks. He did get into a jam in the eighth giving up three hits and a run. Coach Hartleb called on secondbaseman Reid Roper to relieve Castellanos who promptly coaxed two quick outs then went back out to play second the next inning (I’d love to see this kind of thing catch on in the majors). Josh Ferry came on for a near perfect ninth to finish off the Musketeers. He hit the first batter but erased the runner on a game ending double play.
The Illini didn’t need a lot of runs but the offense were happy to oblige for six. Ryne Roper contributed two rbis on two hits while Adam Walton went 2 for 2.
Note that the Illini scored four runs, three earned on Xavier starter Vinny Nittoli who entered the game with a 3-0 record and a 0.38. He now has one in the ‘L’ column and I’ll bet that his ERA has gone up significantly. Nice going, guys!
| Game #20 / March 22, 2014 Game 2 |
||||
|
vs |  |
||
|
6 |
2 | |||
Adam Walton: 5 for 5, 3 stolen bases and triple for the day
It wasn’t until midway through the second game when I realized that shortstop Adam Walton seemed to be getting on base a lot throughout the day. When I later checked the box scores, sure enough, he was 5 for 5 for the afternoon. Not only that, he hit a triple and stole three bases (his first three of year, actually). Walton is starting own his role as shortstop, too. He made a couple impressive plays in the field during game one.
Casey Fletcher hit homer #1…
…and gets a congratulatory hug from Adam Walton
The wait is over for Casey Fletcher. He got his first Illini homer out of the way. His solo shot in the fourth helped buffer the 3-1 lead before the Illini broke it open with a three-run rally in the fifth.
It was good to see the John Kravetz we know and love back on the mound today. Like Castellanos, he pitched efficiently and only gave up two runs in 8 innings. Nick Blackburn pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
By the way, the Illinois pitching staff didn’t walk ONE batter all afternoon today. I’ve noticed that our pitchers have been pretty stingy with the free passes all season and the stats bear that out. They’ve allowed 45 walks this year while opponents have 79 base on balls.
More of my photos from today’s doubleheader against Xavier are at the Illinois Baseball Report photo gallery.
One more game
Assuming the cold weather isn’t an issue, there’s one more game against Xavier. Game time on Sunday is at noon. Rob McDonnell, who was lights out in the Illinois Field home opener, is the scheduled starter for the good guys.
See you at the ballpark!