Illinois topples Michigan State 16-5

Sitting here at beautiful Huntington Park in downtown Columbus.

Game is just getting under way. Phil Haig is on the mound for the Illini. Nolan Moody is throwing for Michigan State.

Not a cloud in sight, sunny and 75.

Game as all are on the Big Ten Network.

Top 1, Haig has an easy inning. E3 results in MSUs only baserunner, but the threat ends with Haig forcing Roof to send a weak grounder to first.

Bottom 1, Moody makes quick work of the Illini. 3 pitch strike out, fly out to left, grounder to third.

Top 2, Haig continues to roll, fly out to center, two grounders.

Moody K's the side in the Illini half of the 2nd.

Moody is really pitching well, fastball is hitting 91, offspeed drops to 78. Hitting his spots. Has 4 strikeouts through 2.

Michigan State jumps on the board in a huge way. Two singles to start the inning, a sac bunt, HBP, and infild fly loads the bases with 2 outs. Spartain captain Eric Roof comes to the plate and rudely sends a Phil Haig pitch above the 365 sign in right center field to make the score 4-0 MSU.

Moody again has no trouble with the Illini batter, with help courtesy rightfielder Eli Boike on a diving catch, Moody surrenders just a BB in the 3rd. Picking up his 5th strikeout.

Haig comes back and makes easy work of the Spartan, 2 weak grounders to the left side of the infield. Then strikes out Bo Felt looking.

Bottom of the 4th Illini get their 1st two runners aboard. F7 gets one out, but Moody couldn't avoid trouble. Cappetta with a 2-run double in the right field alley. A FC follows but McMurray gets a rbi-single to make it 4-3. With runners on the corners 1st team All-Big Ten SS Brandon Wikoff gets a seeing-eye single to knot it at 4. Another 1st teamer Dom Altobelli follows with a single as well through the right side. 5-4 Illini.

Haig has a 1-2-3 top of 5.

Moody walks the first batter in the bottom of the 5th. A scary collision in right field between Boike and Roberts but both are fine. Moody appears to be fighting himself. Falling behind the hitters now and his offspeed doesn't have the same bite.

Just looking around the beautiful stadium 12 or so scouts are to my left, with the Minnesota staff a few rows behind them. To my right were the 3 Ohio State seniors, Hale, Arp, Miller before leaving for practice. A decent crowd is on hand. The unusual sight of the day is the 3 mount Columbus Policemen and their horses outside of the stadium looking through the fense on Nationwide Blvd above the rightfield power ally.

Moody is replaced after an RBI-double makes it 6-4. 1 out, runners on 2nd and 3rd, AJ Dunn in for MSU.

Spartans get runners on in the top of the 6th but can't make anything happen.

MSU commits 2 errors in the bottom of the 6th, the extra outs allow Illinois to score 4 runs, highlighted by a Matt Dittman 2-run double. Cappetta picks up an RBI again with a double to deep center. All 4 runs are unearn

Illinois strike for a total of 7 runs. All unearned. Ouch.

Illinois has now jumped out to a 16-4 lead. Peppering balls all around Huntington Park.

The Columbus Fire Deparment has replaced the mounted policemen standing on Nationwide Blvd waatching the game through the fense, joining them are a dozen passerbys.

Michigan State does get a run in the 8th. A fine double play made by SS Wikoff scouping the ball out of the dirty to start the 6-4-3 with his glove and flipping it to 2B Parr all in one motion.

Final Box
MSU 5-7-3
Illini 16-18-1

Recap to come.