[batted balls]

August 1, 2006

Miami, Fla.--Illinois continued a familiar pattern for success as the Illini received solid pitching and home runs to take the series opener against Miami.

Third baseman Scott Spiezio and left fielder Don Lenhardt each homered to propel the Illini to an 8-3 victory. The win pushed Illinois into a second-place tie with Miami. Both clubs are 62-44, six games behind All-American Baseball League East leader Ivy. Fourth-place Florida State defeated Ivy 1-0 as John Wasdin (11-7) outdueled Jim Beattie (12-3) in Tallahassee.

In the meantime, Illinois right-hander Dick "Legs" Weik (5-0) came on in relief of starter Jeff Innis to pitch three innings, earning the win. Closer Donn Pall notched his 23rd save for Illinois. John Fulgham (10-11) took the loss for Miami.

Speizio extended his career-high hit streak to 17 games with a two-hit performance. Lenhardt's 13th longball of the year came in a four-run Illini ninth to put the game away. Lenhardt's blast was a three-run shot off Miami reliever Kurt Knudsen.

The Illinois victory extended its winning string to six straight. Miami is 8-2 in its last 10 games.

The two teams will play the second game of the series Sunday with Carl Lundgren (13-6) taking the mound for Illinois against Miami's Neal Heaton (9-7).

East Standings
Ivy 68-38 --
Illinois 62-44 -6
Miami 62-44 -6
Florida State 59-47 -9
Mississippi State 56-50 -12
Michigan 52-54 -16
Notre Dame 49-57 -19
Louisiana State 43-63 -25
Michigan State 41-65 -27
Minnesota 38-68 -30

Player of the Month: Will Clark, Mississippi State
Pitcher of the Month: Jim Brower, Minnesota
Stat of the Week: Ivy has the East's top three run scorers in Hughie Jennings (81), Lou Gehrig (71) and Steve Yorkes (70).

Team-by-Team July Review
Ivy: The Eagles continue to feature a balanced offense and pitching staff. While first baseman Lou Gehrig has slumped of late (3-for-his-last 20), third baseman Red Rolfe has been hot (7-for-his-last 18). Despite his recent woes, Gehrig still appears on track to East MVP with a .327 average, 14 home runs and 82 RBIs. Outfielder Sam Mele tops the East with 86 RBIs. Pitchers Pete Broberg (14-6, 2.67 ERA), Jim Beattie (12-3, 2.10), John Milligan (12-7, 3.64) and Ron Darling (6-3, 2.55) continue to be forces on the mound.
Illinois: Pitching and home run hitters have been the Illini recipe for winning. Illinois leads the AABL with a 2.65 team ERA. Showing the way are starters Carl Lundgren (13-6, 2.10 ERA) and Fred Beebe (12-7, 1.67). Closer Donn Pall has saved eight of his last nine opportunities. Lou Boudreau (14 home runs), Don Lenhardt (13) and Hoot Evers (11) have swung big bats.
Miami: The Hurricanes have been the hottest team in the AABL, winning 10 of their last 12 games. Pitching has been at the forefront of the Miami uprising. Starters Alex Fernandez (14-5, 3.25 ERA), Warren Bogle (13-5, 2.76) and Neal Heaton (9-7, 2.97) have supported by the East's best bullpen featuring setup men Kurt Knudsen (nine saves) and All-Star Oscar Munoz (16 saves). Closer Danny Graves (9 saves) is fresh off the DL for the stretch drive. Offensively, Pat Burrell (.256-12-47), Bobby Hill (.278-10-43), Jorge Fabergas (.305-9-45) and newcomer Mike Piazza (.237-5-19) have led the attack.
Florida State: The offense has virtually disappeared for the Seminoles. FSU has lost eight of its last 12 games. Pitchers John Wasdin (11-7, 2.54), Richie Lewis (11-4, 2.12) and Craig Skok (29 saves, 1.21) remain standouts. All-Star Mark Gilbert (.302-10-54) is the only Seminole above .300 in batting.
Mississippi State: The mystery team of the East. Some days the Bulldogs look like world beaters; the next day they look like the downtrodden. First baseman Will Clark (.325-12-58) and outfielder Rafael Palmeiro (.280-7-53) are the offense. Bobby Thigpen has racked up 17 saves in 19 attempts since taking over closer duties when Ken Tatum (6-5, 1.93) was moved to the starting rotation. Right-hander Jeff Brantley (8-6, 3.25) earned the East Player of the Week award.
Michigan: The lone East team without an All-Star representative is ranked in the second half of all offensive and pitching categories. Only two pitchers--Lary Sorensen (9-6) and Jim Abbott (4-3)--sport winning records. Short stop Barry Larkin (.282-7-34) has shown promise; catchers Mike Matheny and Bill Freehan (a combined .188-4-31) have not.
Notre Dame: The Irish are another team with efficient pitching but little offense. Starters Ed Reulbach (9-10, 2.40 ERA), Norwood Gibson (10-7, 1.84) and Dick Rusteck (9-7, 3.18) are backed by the bullpen combination of Jim Hannan (14 saves) and Brad Lidge (six saves). If opponents hold Cap Anson (.337-2-39) and Carl Yastrzemski (.276-9-48) in check, Notre Dame's offense is shut down.
LSU: The Tigers are one of the East's most puzzling team. When the starters hold opponents down, the offense disappears. When the offense scores big, the pitchers suddenly give away runs. All-Stars Warren Morris (.284-11-44), Joe Adcock (.286-9-47) and Buddy Blair (.287-8-60) at least provide Bayou fans with fireworks.
Michigan State: The Spartans' offensive woes are well documented. Michigan State is batting an AABL-low .198 with just 34 home runs on the season. Rick Miller (.279-6-34) and Steve Garvey (.237-3-33) are the best of the lot. Pitchers Mark Mulder (5-4, 2.76 ERA), Ed Pinnance (8-8, 2.95) and Dick Radatz (23 saves, 1.25) provide hope for the future. Robin Roberts (4-17, 5.13) is on his way to a 20-loss season.
Minnesota: The Golden Gophers have lost second baseman Brian Raabe (.169-0-5) for the season and outfielder Dave Winfield (.223-6-35) for at least another week with injuries. Brent Gates (.291-3-28) and Paul Molitor (.266-3-47) have shone promise. Short stop Jerry Kindall has 12 homers, yet is batting just .181. Despite a combined 12-27 record, starters Jim Brower, Bryan Hickerson and Steve Comer have improved in the season's second half. Brower, in fact, was named East Pitcher of the Month for July. The Minnesota right-hander was 2-1 with 16 strikeouts in 21 innings of work. His July ERA was an AABL-low 0.43. Brower (left) is shown below.