Kevin Snyder - Illinois Athletics
- Box Score
4
WinnerIllinoisILL35-19
1
Indiana StateINS42-13
Winner
IllinoisILL
35-19
4
Final
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois ILL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Indiana State INS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
W: Crowder, Jack (7-2) L: Davidson, Zach (5-2) S: Glassey, Joe (9)
Game Recap: Baseball |
Recap
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Illinois baseball (35-19)earned a 4-1 victory over Indiana State (42-14) in the opening round of the Lexington Regional,Friday night at Kentucky Proud Park.
The triumphmarks the first NCAA Tournament win for the Orange and Blue since 2015.
Jack Crowder was simply dominant on the mound for the Illini, improving to 7-2 on the season after turning in a career-high 8.0 innings of one-run ball. The right-handeryielded just three hits, issued no walksand fanned five batters. Joe Glassey worked a perfect ninth to earn his ninth save of the season.
Drake Westcott went 2-for-4 with a run, double, two RBI and a walk. Connor Milton went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two walks. The Illinois offense drew nine walks at the plate compared to just four strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a pitcher's duel early, as both teams traded scoreless frames through the first two innings, with Crowder retiring all six batters he faced, picking up a pair of strikeouts along the way.
The Illini broke the deadlock in the third, when Westcott brought home two runs on a single with the bases loaded. Crowderthen turned in a quick 1-2-3 shutdown inning to preserve the momentum.
After Illinois was held scoreless in the top of the fourth, Indiana State led off the home half of the frame with a solo home run to make it 2-1. Crowder bounced back, retiring the next 11 batters he faced to keep the Illini ahead in the ballgame.
The offense rewarded their ace's efforts in the eighth, when Brody Harding singled home Westcott with two outs to make it 3-1. Milton then added another insurance run in the ninth when he scored on a passed ball.
Glassey then tossed a perfect ninth inning to give the Illini the 4-1 win over the Sycamores.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini will be back in action tomorrow, where they will face host and No. 2 national seed Kentucky in the winner's bracket of the Lexington Regional. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.The ballgame will be streamed on ESPN+.
GAME NOTES
» Drake Westcott went 2-for-4 with a run, double, two RBI and a walk.
» Extended his hitting streak to five games...has gone 9-for-23 (.391) during that span with two doubles, two home runs and nine RBI.
» Connor Milton went 1-for-2 with two runs and two walks.
» Has reached base safely in 20-straight games.
» Has drawn five walks in his last three games...back-to-back games with two walks.
» Brody Harding went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
» Camden Janik extended his on-base streak to 33 games.
» Jack Crowder improved to 7-2 on the season, earning the win in his first NCAA Tournament start.
» 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR
» New career-high in innings pitcher.
» Sixth quality start of the season.
» First start of the season without issuing a walk.
» Fourth-straight start with at least five strikeouts.
» The Illini are 11-5 in his starts.
» Joe Glassey picked up his ninth save of the season by working a 1-2-3 ninth.
» His nine saves are tied for seventh-most in a single season in program history.
» Most by an Illini in a single season since 2019 (Garrett Acton, 19).
» Now has 15 saves in his Illinois career...seventh-most all-time.
» Has not allowed a run in his last 9.1 innings of work (6 G)...longest streak by an Illini this season.
» The Illini earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 2015.
» First tournament win outside of Champaign since 2013 (Nashville Regional).
» Illinois' highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed two runs across.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Sycamores at a 6-3 clip.
» Illinois pitchers faced 30 Indiana State hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and 13 fly balls while striking out five.
» The Fighting Illini drew nine walks from Indiana State pitching.
» Illinois pitching issued zero walks in the contest...first such game this season.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
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