Yesterday we had a massive wind blowing hits out for homers, and today Waz reports that the wind is blowing inward thus far? Yesterday was 80 degrees, and today it is freezing, and with the wind...Coach Waz thinks it is a wind-chill below 40 degrees.

The turf at this field is a slow bounce, and something to adjust to as well. I am curious to see how Collin Clarke bounces back after he got abused by Nebraska last week--really the first time that has happened this season. He does not throw a high mph fastball; he depends on hitting the corners with them, a nasty curve/drop-ball and he has the best changeup pitch on the staff.

But these pitches have to be ON to today...and that is why we play the game. His ERA is still quite good at 3.52 and today will be an interesting test for him.

Collin Clarke

0-0 after one inning. Illinois starts Mitch Dye, who has an ERA of 4.99 and kept the Ducks scoreless in the first inning.

Collin Clarke gave up a hit and a walk, but dispensed with the rest on fly balls.

2-0 Ducks after two innings. Maddox Molony nailed a liner to CF, and later stole second base. Burke-Lee Mabeus walks, and then Jack Brooks hits a low grounder to RF to score Molony and move the speedy Mabeus to third. Brooks steals second, and Jax Gimenez got plinked to bring us to Ducks-on-the-Pond! (Bases Loaded)

Brayden Jaksa got walked to score Mabeus, and then we squandered the remaining bases loaded...but two runs is a good start. Boy that wind looks like it is now blowing hard out to RF, and you can see it whipping the sleeves of the pitchers.

Oregon's Collin Clarke had two strikeouts, and a grounder fielded sweetly by Drew Smith for a 1-2-3 inning.

2-0 Ducks after three innings. OMIGOSH! Oregon had bases-loaded with NO outs...and did nothing with it.

Fortunately, Collin Clarke kept the Illini scoreless while giving up a hit, but created two flyouts and a strikeout.

4-2 Illinois after four innings. The ton of stranded base runners comes back to haunt the Ducks. We had nothing on offense this inning, but Collin Clarke gave up hits and walks, but the primary problem was routine short fly-balls that got blown by the wind at the last moment to make our fielders miss it.

The wind was responsible for three of the four runs by the Illini this inning. Back to work!

4-4 after five innings. Angel Laya walks, and then Maddox Molony absolutely blasted a hanging breaking ball over the LF wall to score two and tie it up!

Collin Clarke had 97 pitches, but came back out to quickly end the inning with a flyout and a sweet double-play by Drew Smith at 3rd, and Ryan Cooney at second--who zipped it to first.

4-4 after six innings. Nothing on offense...

Big 6'3" 230 pound pitcher from Grants Pass, Oregon's Luke Morgan comes out in relief, and got two strikeouts and a flyout.

12-6 Illinois after seven innings. Burke-Lee Mabeus gets a grounder through the left IF for a leadoff hit. Naulivou Lauaki gets a hit in shallow LF, and Jack Brooks lines up to bunt a bunch of times, but gets walked. So we have bases loaded with no outs, when Brayden Jaksa gets a high-bouncing grounder to penetrate the left infield to score Mabeus and Lauaki!

Unfortunately, we left bases-loaded stranded after that. A real chance to put this game out of reach was lost... And then one of the worst nightmare half-innings ever for Oregon...

Bottom line is that our relief pitching was awful; walks, hits, errors by the pitcher as we saw Luke Morgan get shelled, Michael Meckna give up runs on back-to-back wild pitches, hits given up by Toby Twist, and then I think Waz is waving the white flag with Gabe Howard coming in.

This game was lost by an absence of timely hitting, (Last I saw there was 14 runners left on base) and terrible relief pitching.

13-13 after eight innings. I was premature in my assessment as it is not over--until it is over. And never underestimate your opponent's ability to give you the same bad pitching that you offered them.

Maddox Molony walks, and Dominic Hellman got plinked. Naulivou Lauaki got a hit through the left IF to load the bases again with NO OUTS. Jack Brooks was plinked to score Molony, and then Brayden Jaksa crushed a pitch and sent it over the LF wall for a GRAND SLAM!

Ryan Cooney was plinked, and the Drew Smith blasted a pitch over the RF wall to give Oregon the lead with a two-run dinger!

Gabe Howard returns to give up a hit, and then is replaced by closer Devin Bell. A throwing error to first base scores a run to tie it up, and as if the issues were not enough....Oregon has made THREE errors today. So many ways we have tried to lose, and yet we could still win. Hard to watch...

Illinois wins 16-13 as Devin Bell gives up a three-run homer with two outs and full count.

Very, very frustrating.

16 runs is way to much to give up.