Northwestern University Athletics
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Illinois *
Illinois Sweeps Doubleheader; Wins Game Two 12-9
5/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 7, 2005
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, sweeping Saturday's doubleheader, winning game two 12-9. Anthony Wycklendt and Antonio Mule each hit home runs and Pat McMahon was 4-for-4 at the plate in the loss. The heartbreaking loss drops NU to 21-22 overall, 10-13 in the Big Ten.
For the first time in the series, Northwestern took the lead in a game. Junior left fielder Anthony Wycklendt (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet) provided the big hit, crushing a line-drive home run to straightaway centerfield. The centerfield fence at Illinois Field is listed a 400-feet. Designated hitter Pat McMahon (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel) and shortstop Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) scored on Wycklendt's ninth homer of the season. McMahon and Mikrut led off the game with back-to-back singles.
The lead was short-lived.
In the bottom of the first, Wildcat starter Ryan Myers (Lake Villa, Ill./Carmel) put the first two Illini hitters on base. After a strikeout, Dusty Bensko hit his second home run of the day and third of the series, tying the game at 3-3. It was Bensko's 14th home run of the season.
But the Wildcats responded in the top of the second inning, scoring four runs on three hits. McMahon drove home his first run of the game with his second hit in as many innings. After a walk loaded the bases, Illinois made a pitching change. A balk plated the second Wildcat run of the inning, allowing second baseman Mark Bennett (Palos Park, Ill./Providence Catholic) to score. Bennett singled in his at-bat. Another base-on-balls reloaded the bases, bringing up Wycklendt. Wycklendt just missed his second home run of the game, flying out to the warning track in right field. The sacrifice fly plated NU's third run of the inning. An Antonio Mule (Lodi, N.J./Lodi) groundout to first base scored the fourth run and gave NU a 7-3 lead.
With the plating of the seventh run in the second inning, NU had scored more in two innings of game three, then they had in the first two games (16 innings) of the series (six).
Like good teams do, Illinois chipped away at the Wildcat lead, scoring a single run in the bottom of the second. A leadoff single scored on a sacrifice fly.
Down 7-4, the Illini kept chipping away. A leadoff double scored on a one-out single, making the score 7-5 in favor of Northwestern after three complete innings.
In the bottom of the third, head coach Paul Stevens called on sophomore Dan Schwartz (New York, N.Y./Northern Valley Regional) from the bullpen. Schwartz threw one pitch to get out of the inning, leaving runners on first and third. Mule made a sliding basket catch in right field to end the Illinois threat.
Schwartz kept the Illini offense in check until the bottom of the sixth inning. After getting the first two outs, Schwartz gave up four straight hits, one of which was a triple and another a double.
After Illinois tied the game 7-7, senior Chris Hayes (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) came on to pitch. Hayes threw two pitches to the Illini's biggest RBI threat, Bensko, inducing a groundball to end the inning.
In the seventh inning, Ori walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Wycklendt hit a deep fly ball to the warning track in center field, allowing Ori to move to third. Mule stepped to the plate and crushed the first pitch he saw deep over the right field fence. Mule's second home run of the season gave NU a 9-7 lead heading into the bottom half of the last inning.
Illinois used two doubles and a three-run home run to win the game.
Hayes took the loss, falling to 3-2 on the season.
Northwestern and Illinois play the final game of a four-game series tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. Illinois leads the series 3-0.
