Game 1 at Illinois
Venezuela....... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 - 4 6 2
Illinois........ 2 1 1 2 6 1 0 0 x - 13 19 1
W: Roberts L: Santana
HR: Galarraga
Every Illinois starter had at least one hit in pounding Venezuela starter Johan Santana, and Robin Roberts pitched a strong game for the win.
The top three Illinois batters – Rickey Henderson, Robin Yount and Jim Thome – had three hits apiece, and Red Schoendienst drove in three runs. Roberts got into the act with a hit, RBI and run during the home team’s six-run inning off reliever Kelvim Escobar. Santana exited after four innings, allowing 11 hits, three walks and six runs.
Roberts walked none and struck out four. He gave up a two-out homer to Andres Galarraga after an error in the ninth.
Game 2 at Illinois
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 6 0
Illinois........ 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 x - 8 13 0
W: Ruffing L: Zambrano
HR: Thome 3, Yount
Jim Thome went deep three times and drove in six runs, and Robin Yount had four hits including a two-run homer to back Red Ruffing for a 2-0 Illinois series lead.
Rickey Henderson led off with a single and Yount followed with a homer off Venezuela starter Carlos Zambrano. Thome then homered to make it 3-0, and his three-run blast in the fourth chased Zambrano. He added a two-run homer off Ugueth Urbina in the eighth. Thome walked and grounded out in his other trips to the plate.
Ruffing went eight innings, giving up five hits. Magglio Ordonez’s two-run single in the sixth ended the shutout bid.
Game 3 at Venezuela
Illinois........ 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 9 1
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 8 0
W: Saberhagen L: Garcia
Bret Saberhagen scattered eight hits and Jim Thome had three more hits to put Illinois within a victory of a sweep.
Thome doubled in a run in the first and singled home another in the third against Freddy Garcia, who kept Venezuela close with help from the bullpen but got no help from his offense.
Robin Yount had two hits and through three games equaled Thome’s series batting average to an incredible .643. Leadoff man Rickey Henderson was hitless, but drew a walk, stole his fourth base of the series and his average “fell” to .545.
Saberhagen pitched around several threats. The biggest came in the fifth when Venezuela loaded the bases with one out. Bobby Abreu hit into a double play, though, to end the inning. Saberhagen walked one and struck out three.
Game 4 at Venezuela
Illinois........ 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 3 0
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 - 2 10 1
W: Urbina L: Reuschel
Venezuela prevented a sweep, scoring the winning run on a Jason Isringhausen wild pitch in the last of the ninth.
Carlos Guillen singled off Rick Reuschel in the ninth. Henry Blanco hit into a force play and pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval singled for the 10th hit off Reuschel, sending Blanco to third. Isringhausen relieved and his first – and only – pitch bounced past catcher Ray Schalk, scoring Blanco.
Ugueth Urbina pitched two hitless innings for the win. Venezuela starter Wilson Alvarez held the high-powered Illinois attack to three hits and a run in seven innings.
Game 5 at Venezuela
Illinois........ 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 - 5 6 1
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 0
W: Roberts L: Santana
HR: Henderson, Boudreau, Schalk
Robin Roberts pitched a six-hit shutout, walking nobody, and Rickey Henderson hit a three-run homer in the second to propel Illinois into a third-round matchup against Michigan.
Henderson just missed a homer leading off the game against Johan Santana, but in the second, with Schalk and Roberts aboard after two-out hits, Rickey didn’t miss. His blast, along with Lou Boudreau’s solo shot in the fourth, gave Roberts a comfortable cushion. Ray Schalk, not a big home run hitter, also connected off Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth.
Base instincts 