For the first time all season, the Illinois baseball team is in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. With only 12 games remaining on their conference schedule, the Illini are in the driver’s seat to win their first conference title since 1998.

The Illini managed a split over the weekend at Penn State and, coupled with Minnesota being swept at Purdue, now hold a two-game lead in the standings. The Illini are 14-6 in the conference (26-14-1 overall), while the Gophers are 12-8.

Despite the strong results, the weekend didn’t start out well, as the Illini fell 3-2 to the Nittany Lions in the series opener on Friday. Junior Brian Blomquist (8-2) pitched a complete game for the Illini, but it wasn’t enough because Penn State prevailed.

“Brian threw a good ballgame today, but we ran into a tough pitcher on the other side,” said Illini head coach Itch Jones.

Junior outfielder Ryan Rogowski was the Illini hitting star in the game, scoring one run and driving in another while finishing the game 2-for-4.

In Saturday’s doubleheader, the Illini bats came alive as junior catcher Chris Robinson made game-winning hits in both contests.

In the opener, Illini senior starter Jimmy Conroy cruised through the first six innings as Illinois opened a 3-0 lead. In the seventh, however, Conroy began to tire and Penn State tagged him for three runs, forcing extra innings.

With one out in the top of the eighth, senior first baseman Dusty Bensko singled to right. Robinson then laced a double down the line in left to score Bensko. After sophomore designated hitter Mike Rohde was intentionally walked, senior third baseman Chad Frk singled to left to give the Illini a 6-3 lead.

“I’ve been trying to separate each at bat,” Robinson said after the game. “I came up in the eighth in a position to win the game. I was able to turn on a pitch and drive it into the corner.”

Sophomore Aaron Saving, who entered the game for Conroy in the seventh, worked the eighth and picked up his second win.

Senior infielders J.R. Kyes and Toby Gardenhire each had two hits for the Illini, who out hit Penn State in the game, nine to six.

The second game turned out to be just as exciting as the first, as Illinois squeaked out a 6-4 win. The Nittany Lions scored a run in the first off junior starter Matt Whitmore to take an early lead, but the Illini responded with two in the third and one in the fourth to grab a 3-1 advantage.

Penn State rebounded to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth, but Illinois would not let them forge ahead. With two on and two outs in the top of the fifth, Robinson blasted his sixth homer of the season over the wall in right, giving the Illini a 6-3 lead and propelling them to the 6-4 win.

“The pitch was up and I was able to get a good piece of it and drive it the other way,” Robinson said.

Whitmore (4-1) allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits in five and two-thirds innings to pick up the win. Once again, Saving finished the game, pitching the final inning and a third to get the save.

As good as the Illinois hitters were in clutch situations, Jones was impressed with his team’s pitching staff.

“I can’t say enough about Aaron Saving; he just gets people out,” Jones said. “Today he gave us two great efforts in two games we really needed.

“Jimmy was outstanding today. He just ran into some trouble in the seventh and he’s got to learn to overcome that. Whitmore struggled a bit, but he kept battling and put us in a position to win like he always does.”

On getaway day the Nittany Lions came back with a vengeance, crushing the Illini 9-1. The game was scoreless until the fourth when Penn State finally pushed across a run to take a 1-0 lead. The Illini tied it with a run of their own in the sixth, but Penn State’s offense exploded in the bottom of the inning with five runs and tacked on three more in the seventh for the win.

Junior starter Jake Stewart (1-1) took the loss for the Illini, allowing six runs on 10 hits in five and two-thirds innings.

The Illini will head to Carbondale tomorrow for a night game at Southern Illinois before hosting Northwestern over the weekend. After Northwestern, the Illini will travel to Minnesota and host Iowa to finish off their conference schedule.