Illinois baseball takes down Bradley 6-4 in one game series
Catcher Ryan Hampe starts to the run after successfully hitting ap pitch on May 14 against Nebraska. The Illini performed a good batting game against Bradley resulting in a 6-4 win.
March 21, 2023
Illinois baseball played another mid-week series, this time against the Bradley Braves. The Illini were originally scheduled to head northwest on I-74 to Peoria; however, the weather once again forced another relocation.
This time, Illinois would benefit as it was moved to Illinois Field in Champaign. This would be another one-game matchup for the Illini, as they looked to move to 3-1 against teams in the state of Illinois. The teams battled through wind and rain, but the Illini got their 10th win of the season while Bradley fell to 6-10 on the season.
Illinois sent freshman righthander Jake Swartz to the mound for the second time this season after a solid outing last week against Indiana State. The Illini would take their positions in the field first, as it was considered a home game for them.
The Braves threatened early, but Swartz got out of a second inning jam unscathed after giving up a lead-off double. The Illini bats got it going in the third inning, plating two runs. They would add another run in the fourth.
The Illini pitching cracked in the fifth inning, giving up a long ball to left-center by junior shortstop TJ Manteufel to make it a 3-1 ballgame. Then, a two-out single down the left field line tied the game at three runs apiece, ending the day for Swartz.
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The Illini bats quickly responded in the bottom half of the fifth inning with back-to-back hits by senior third baseman Branden Comia and senior center fielder Cam McDonald. Junior first baseman Drake Westcott followed it up with his sixth home run of the season, giving Illinois a 6-3 lead.
Bradley added a run but could not get more, as junior Connor Milton robbed an eighth inning home run ball from landing and Illinois looked to close out the game in the ninth. Redshirt junior Joe Glassey took the mound and did just that. The Illini won 6-4. Head coach Dan Hartleb spoke highly of Swartz’s day on the mound.
“I thought Jake Swartz did a good job,” Hartleb said. “I thought he was better today than he was last week, and he was really good last week.”
The Illini will enter their first conference series of the season on the road. They will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face the Cornhuskers.
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