Illinois State @ ISU--Game Three Thread (3/27)

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bluepower

Baseball Mod
After a loss that was so hard in game one today, the Sycamores need to use that anger to boost their attack in the nightcap of the doubleheader.

Jason Van Skike will take the ball (RHP, 24.1 innings, 2-0, 4.44 ERA). Van Skike has been tough as of late and hopes to have a solid outing today. He'll be matched against Illinois State's Ryan Copeland (LHP, 1-2, 6.60 ERA, 30 innings).

Errors, past balls, missed opportunites, brief pitching lapses and bad calls by the umpire in the first game today all need to be forgotten and we have to salvage the final game of the series. As I keep saying, we have all of the pieces to the puzzle, but we're not getting that puzzle put together.

The game is available on WBOW (AM 1130 and 1300) or online. The game is also available on live stats. The link to both is below:

http://www.gosycamores.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15200&KEY=&SPID=7256&SPSID=65130
 

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Here's what True Blue, who was at the game, said about the bad call in the ninth inning that produced the second out with the bases loaded:

"I've seen a lot of baseball games and the strike 3 on Burnam was the worst I've ever seen. It was at least a foot to foot and a half outside. Heller and Burnam went crazy. Some fans also got ejected for yelling at umps down the right field line after game."

Heller will NOT be in the dugout because of his ejection in the first game.

JLandrus23 was also at the game and added this eyewitness report:

"The called strike 3 on Burnam was a pitch-out pitch, and the ump called it a strike. Fieser hit the ball to the shortstop and the second baseman pulled his foot off the bag, and Coach Heller ran across the field to get in the umpires face, and the other 2 umps had to restrain him."
 
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Luke Feiser injured...won't play nightcap. He was injured after being clipped by a baserunner who hit his throwing arm while rounding third base. No word on the extent of the injury.
 
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Jason Van Skike on the mound in first inning...Jordan pearson playing third in place of injured Luke Fieser...and Phil Liniger is at first...Tokarski led off with a double (same as game one)...Mirabal strikes out swinging...Van Skike picks off Tokarski at second (1-5-6)...Thornton strikes out swinging for the final out. 0-0

In the home half of the first...Copeland is on the mound against Strausborger who went 3 for 5 in the first game today...Straus base hit to left field...Burnam is 1 for 7 in the series and was called for an awefull call strike-out in the ninth inning of the first game of the DH...Burnam goes to a 1-2 count before Burnam gets a single up the middle...Straus advances to third...no outs...Graham (2 for 8 in series) goes to an 0-2 count before striking out swinging...Liniger goes to an 0-2 count before strike three being called...Ort, who broke a 10 game hitting streak, going 0-5 in the opener, flys out to left-center. No score after one.
 
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In the top of the second...Ruffolo walks on four straight pitches to lead off the inning...Amrein hits a hard grounder to Van Skike for a 1-6-3 doubleplay...Court, 0-5 today, goes to a 3-1 count and grounds out to Ferrell at ss. No score.

Moving to the home half of the second...Jeremy Lucas leads off...Lucas hits a single down the right field line...Grgurich hits a basehit into right-center...runners on the corners...no outs...Pearson bunts and drives in Lucas and pearson is safe at first...five hits already in ball game...Farrell sac bunts to advance Grgurich and Pearson to third and second with one out...Strausborger hits a ball of the glove of the center fielder...Straus drives in two with a triple...Hinshaw still down at the wall after nearly making a sensational catch and smashing in the fence...Hinshaw is sitting up, which is a good sign and now up and walking off on his own...loooonnnggg delay in getting someone to go out to center field...this is very strange, no indication as to why the delay...six of the first ten Sycs have reached base on hits...well, Chad Hinshaw is back in the game, some ten minutes after going down!...Burnam lines out to center, with Hinshaw making a good catch...Strausborger scores on the sac fly the fourth run...Graham walks...Liniger taps back to the mound for the third out. ISU leads 4-0.

The reason for the delay was that trainers were making sure he had not had a concussion and he had a butterfly bandage on a cut above his right eye.
 
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Moving to the top of the third...Hinshaw leads off with a ground out to second...DeMarco flys out to right...Colon grounds out to Pearson at third. Sycamores lead 4-0.

Currently, the temperature has dropped to 56-degrees with winds from the southeast at 5-10 mph.

Ort (1 for 10 in the series) leads off the bottom of the third with a bunt attempt, thrown out at first...Lucas drills a hit into right field, his second of the day...Grgurich goes to a 1-2 count before getting a single through the left side...runners at first and second with one out...Pearson grounds to third and Birds turn a double play. ISU leads 4-0.
 
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Going into the top of the fourth inning...Tokarski has not been retired today!...Tokarski goes to a 3-1 count before walking...on base for the seventh time today between the two games...appears that Van Skike was warned as he and Tokarski appeared to have words as Tokarski was walking down to second base...Mirabal gets infield single to short...Tokarski scores on single to center by Thornton... Ruffalo goes to 3-0 before walking on four pitches...bases loaded with no outs and one run in... Amrein strikes out swinging...Court (1 for 10 in series) goes to a 1-2 count before striking out swinging...two outs...Hinshaw grounds out to third for the final out. ISU leads 4-1.


Leading off the home half of the fourth...Farrell flys out to right-center...Strausborger (5 for 7 today) doubles to right field...Burnam singles to right field, Straus scores...ISU leads 5-1...Graham singles through the right side...Burnam advances to second...one out...Sycs have 11 hits already in this game...Liniger goes to an 0-2 count and then grounds out to second. Burnam and Graham move to second and third...Ort has a team best 19 RBI this season...Ort singles and is thrown out at second, with one run scoring. ISU leads 6-1.
 
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In the top of the fifth...DeMarco grounds out to short...Colon pops up to Liniger near the pitcher's mound...Tokarski (whom we have not retired today) gets a base hit up the middle!...two outs...Mirabal strikes out swinging, but Lucas dropped the ball and threw the it over Liniger's head attempting to complete the K...runners are at second and third with two outs...Thornton goes to a full count before striking out swinging. ISU leads 6-1.

Going to the home half of the fifth...Lucas, Grgurich & Pearson lead off the inning...activity in ILS pen...Lucas flies out to center...Grgurich bunts down the first base line and he is out 3-1...Pearson grounds out to short for the final out. Still 6-1, Sycamores.
 
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Moving to the top of the sixth...Ruffalo, Amrein and Court will face Van Skike...Ruffalo flys out to shallow center...Amrein goes to 3-0 count and Amrein walks on four pitches...Van Skike's fourth walk of the day...Court flys out to Ort in right near the warning track...Hinshaw grounds out short. Score remains 6-1 in favor of ISU.

In the home half of the sixth, Ferrell, Strausborger and Burnam will handle the bats...Ferrell flys out to right...Strausborger just needs a homer to get the cycle in this game...Straus has had hits in six stright at bats with a single through the left side...Straus thrown out at second trying to steal.. two outs...Burnam flys out to Hinshaw in center. Sycamores lead 6-1.
 
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Moving to the top of the seventh...Van Skike will face DeMarco, Colon and Tokarski...DeMarco gets single on an error off 2B to right for his first hit of game...McNeely will run for DeMarco and Brett Kay will pinch-hit for Colon...Kay grounds out to short...McNeely moves to third...Mann warming up in the ISU pen...wild pitch brings McNeely in to score...Tokarski, who has reached safely eight times today (five hits and three walks) hits a double down the right field line...Mirabal (1 for 3 in this game and 6 for 13 in series) drills a double to the left field wall to score Tokarski...Mirabal's sixth RBI of the day...Kevin Mann will come on to pitch...Mann battling tendonitis, so he may just be in for the this inning...Harlan warming in the pen...Thornton grounds back to Mann who take the ball to first himself...two outs...Ruffolo flys out to center. Mann gets the Sycs out of more trouble. Sycamores lead 6-3.

In the bottom of the seventh frame...Jake Wielebnicki in to pitch to face Graham who strikes out looking...TribStar's Todd Golden complimented ISU saying that despite losing several players, the Sycs are doing better this year going into conference play...although he said ISU's pre-seson schedule was a little easier this year...Ball pinch-hitting for Liniger...Ball walks...Ort singles to right...runners at first and second...Lucas at bat with one out...Lucas get dinged for the third time today...bases loaded...pitching change as J.D. Learnerd comes in for the second time today as he appeared in the first game...Grgurich will try to bust this game open...Grgurich goes to an 0-2 count and hits a single through the right side to score two runs...runners at first and second with one out...up 8-3...Pearson grounds out to second, but Grgurich and Lucas advance to second and third...Ferrell goes to a full count and then Ferrell grounds out to second. After seven, ISU leads 8-3.
 
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And, going to the top of the eighth on a day where these two teams have been playing for 6.5 hours...Kevin Mann will remain in the game and Steve Ball will go to right field and Ort will move to first base...Amrein grounds out to second...Court (0-3 today) strikes out looking for out two... Hinshaw called out looking...Mann sets down all five batters he's faced. ISU up 8-3.

Going to the bottom of the inning...new pitcher, Verbeke, for ILS to face Strausborger, Burnam and Graham. Straus is 4 for 4 in this game and has hit safely six straight times today...just needs a home run to get the cycle in this game...Straus flys out to right...Burnam (2 for 3 in this game) gets a single up the middle...16 hits for the Sycs in this game...Graham hits a double down the right field line and Burnam score to run the score to 9-3...Ball (3 for 5 in series) grounds out to third...Graham moves to third on a wild pitch...Ort goes to an 0-2 count and then strikes out looking on a 2-2 count. Sycs lead 9-3 going into the final half inning.
 
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In the top of the ninth...Scott Harlan to close the game for the Sycamores...hoping to hold them scoreless...Harlan pitched in that tumultuous ninth inning earlier this afternoon...pinch hitting for DeMarco for ILS is Kohli...Kohli gets a double on a 1-2 pitch...Kay strikes out swinging...Tokarski has not been retired today...Tokarski goes to full count and walks...runners at first and second...Mirabal (7 for 14 in series) goes to 0-2 and then grounds into double play (4-6-1) to end the game. Sycamores win 9-3.
 
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good to see them get 1 win in the series, sounds like they shoulda won both today, good deal!
 
Sycamores get 9 runs on 17 hits and commit two errors. Redbirds score three runs on seven hits and no errors. Van Skike (6.1) gets the win. Two of three runs earned. Mann and Harlan come on to not allow any additional runs.

Sycamores face Chicago State at home Tuesday and head on a long road trip starting at Creighton this coming Friday.

Assistant Coach Brian Smiley did not appear on the post game show.
 
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We should be 2-1 in the MVC instead of 1-2. But at least we got one win out of the series. Have we been swept in a series this season?
 

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bluepower said:
Here's what True Blue, who was at the game, said about the bad call in the ninth inning that produced the second out with the bases loaded:

"I've seen a lot of baseball games and the strike 3 on Burnam was the worst I've ever seen. It was at least a foot to foot and a half outside. Heller and Burnam went crazy. Some fans also got ejected for yelling at umps down the right field line after game."

Heller will NOT be in the dugout because of his ejection in the first game.

JLandrus23 was also at the game and added this eyewitness report:

"The called strike 3 on Burnam was a pitch-out pitch, and the ump called it a strike. Fieser hit the ball to the shortstop and the second baseman pulled his foot off the bag, and Coach Heller ran across the field to get in the umpires face, and the other 2 umps had to restrain him."
Click to expand...

Those are two perfect descriptions -- the catcher jumped out of his stance and back into it to move almost completely behind the right-handed batters box to receive the pitch. In all the games this season, I've never seen Heller as mad about a call as he was for that one (although he deserved to be)
 
How bush is it that the umpire throws Heller out after the game? With a call that bad, and I mean it was by far one of the worst calls I've ever witnessed in a baseball game, what kind of umpire does that?
 
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