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Blue Takes Game 1, 9-7
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Mike Giller ripped a three-run triple to key a six-run fifth-inning rally in the Blue's 9-7 win over the Orange.
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Sept. 28, 2007
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Blue team defeated the Orange in game one of the 2007 Orange and Blue World Series, 9-7, thanks to a six-run fifth inning. Walk-on sophomore Wes Braun earned the win with three innings of relief and he was helped by freshman Casey McMurray's home run and Mike Giller's bases-clearing triple, both in the fifth inning.
The Orange dominated early in the six-inning contest, taking a 6-1 lead behind a homer from sophomore catcher Aaron Johnson and a 4-for-4 effort from senior second baseman Ryan Hastings.
But the Blue came fighting back in the fifth when Giller laced a one-out triple to left-center over the outstretched glove of freshman Daniel Parker. McMurray then knocked a homer off the scoreboard to give his squad a 7-6 lead.
The Orange got a run in the fifth, but the Blue added two more in the sixth. Braun then closed the door in the sixth to record the victory.
Junior Ben Reeser, coming off an incredible summer in the Coastal Plain League, tossed three hitless innings for the Orange, allowing one unearned run. Hastings was 4-for-4 with a double. For the Blue, senior Daniel Webb was 2-for-4 with two doubles.
The teams will play game two Saturday following the Illinois/Penn State football game. The contest will start at approximately 3:30 p.m.
