The News Gazette: Illini take lumps in Big Ten ouster

By The News-Gazette
Friday, May 22, 2009 9:06 PM CDT


COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Illinois baseball team ran out of chances to stay alive in the Big Ten tournament Friday.

Now, the Illini are left wondering about their damaged chances to get into the NCAA tournament. Coach Dan Hartleb's team will find out Monday, when the 64-team field is announced.

"I think we're really a bubble team," Hartleb said after No. 24 Minnesota pummeled Illinois 13-4 in an elimination game at Huntington Park. "Things have to go well (in other conference tournaments). If too many teams that aren't expected to jump in and win tournaments, we're really on the bubble.

"There is an outside chance."

The fourth-seeded Illini (34-20) finished 1-2 in the league tournament, extending a late-season slump during which they lost six of their last eight.

Second-seeded Minnesota (37-16), which defeated Purdue earlier Friday in an elimination game, had Illinois on its heels from the first inning when it scored three runs off Ben Reeser (3-1). The senior right-hander was replaced at that point, but his successors did little to stop the Gophers. Minnesota led 7-2 after five innings, then put the game out of reach with a five-run outburst in the sixth.

Nick O'Shea (two home runs) and Michael Kvasnicka (one homer) led the Gopher onslaught with five RBI apiece.

Meanwhile, Illinois was limited to six hits.

"We weren't very good on the mound, and that snowballed a little bit," Hartleb said, "and we weren't able to get much going offensively where we could get back in the game. Every time we'd inch back, we'd give up a lot out of the bullpen. So it was a frustrating day."