IU drops 3-of-4 to Illinois

The IU baseball team saw its fair share of surprises this weekend: April snow flurries blanketed Sembower Field, a 12-6 deficit turned into a comeback victory and junior designated hitter Zach Boswell hit an inside-the-park home run. However, the final outcome this weekend proved to be the biggest surprise, as IU dropped three out of four games to Illinois.\n"This game was like a lot of the games we've lost," said IU coach Bob Morgan of Sunday's loss. "We had some errors early and stranded too many runners. We have to get it done."\nIn Sunday's 7-5 loss, the Hoosiers stranded 16 runners. Sophomore second baseman Josh Richardson led the IU offense with four hits and two RBIs on the day, totaling nine hits in the series. Freshman pitcher Brad Davidson got the start for the Hoosiers but struggled in three innings pitched, surrendering five earned runs on seven hits. Junior left-hander Adam Poole came in to relieve Davidson and threw six shutout innings.\n"I just came in relaxed," Poole said. "Usually I come in so nervous and tight. But we were down 7-0, and I figured I had nothing to lose."\nThe two teams met Saturday in a doubleheader despite the overcast weather. Heavy winds and occasional snow flurries posed problems for both defenses, especially for the Illini, who committed six errors in the nightcap. Boswell said the weather caused IU to change its game plan as well.\n"We had to change our entire hitting approach," Boswell said. "We have a majority of right-handed hitters, so we had to readjust."\nBoswell surged the IU comeback in game two of the doubleheader with an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.\n"I picked up coach waving me around," Boswell said. "I didn't even have to slide into home, but it was such a great feeling when I crossed the plate."\nJunior first baseman Ryan Parker sealed Saturday's victory with a game-winning blast to right field to score junior left fielder Jay Brant.\n"I give these young guys a lot of credit," Morgan said. "They had the intestinal fortitude to come back after the loss and get momentum."\nThe Hoosiers will take a break from Big Ten action Tuesday, when they will take on Marian College.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Matt \nMattucci at mmattucc@indiana.edu.