Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Illinois
Nilles Caps Comeback Victory Against Illini
5/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Junior Michael Nilles collected the game-winning hit and freshman Tyler Tufts fired a complete game as the Indiana baseball team rallied with two runs in the sixth inning to knock off Illinois, 5-4, at Sembower Field on May 15. After the contest was delayed two hours and 20 minutes due to inclement weather, the Hoosiers took the second of three in the four-game series.
Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, freshman right fielder Andrew Means dropped a ball in front of left fielder Ryan Snowden to score freshman pinch-runner Trevor McConnell. With two outs, sophomore third baseman Tyler Cox singled to left, moved to second on a wild pitch and trotted in on Nilles' base knock with the game-winning run.
Tufts came out in the seventh and stranded a runner on second base to earn his second complete game and improve to 2-3 on the season. The right-hander did not allow a run in the final three innings and scattered six hits with only one walk and one strikeout.
Junior first baseman Ben Greenspan collected three of the club's 11 hits and drove in one, while Cox went 2-for-2 with one RBI. Means also added two RBI.
IU put a tally on the board in the second to take a quick 1-0 lead. With sophomore catcher Jon Fixler on first, Greenspan laced a single up the middle and Fixler, who took off on the pitch, went to third. Means then found a hole on the right side of the infield to bring home Fixler.
The Illini responded with a pair in the third before the Hoosiers added two of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Senior center fielder Reggie Watson led off with a walk and moved to second on a single by senior left fielder Jay Brant. The duo advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch and when shortstop Shawn Roof missed catcher Lars Davis' throw to second, Watson raced home to tie the game at 2-2.
Two batters later, Greenspan bounced a ball back through the box to knock in Brant and give Indiana a one-run lead.
However, the advantage was short-lived as Davis took a Tufts' pitch opposite field over the left-field fence for a two-run homer in the top of the fourth. Tufts settled down the rest of the way and assured IU no worse than a split against U of I.
