Illinois baseball (35-20) took a 6-1 loss against Kentucky in the Lexington Regional of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The loss came after Illinois won their first round matchup against Indiana State with a score of 4-1 on Friday evening.
The Illini will once again face off against Indiana State this afternoon for a chance to continue their tournament run.
Friday’s game started slow, with both Illinois and Indiana State remaining scoreless in the first two innings. Senior right-hander Jack Crowder started on the mound for the Illini and picked up two strikeouts in the first two innings.
Illinois took the first lead when junior infielder Drake Westcott hit a single in the third inning, bringing home senior infielder Cal Hejza and senior outfielder Connor Milton, going up 2-0.
In the fourth inning, Indiana State got on the board when their junior infielder Randal Diaz hit a solo home run, bringing the tally to 2-1. Both teams then went into another scoring drought for the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
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The Illini increased their lead to 3-1 in the top of the eighth when senior infielder Brody Harding connected on a single, bringing home Westcott. Illinois further increased the lead to 4-1 when Milton reached home on a passed ball after reaching base with a single.
Redshirt senior right-hander Joe Glassey came to the mound in the ninth, throwing a perfect inning and securing the win for the Illini. Friday’s win marked Illinois’ first NCAA Tournament victory since 2015. The full box score of Friday’s contest can be found here.
However, the Illini were dealt a 6-1 defeat Saturday afternoon against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Saturday’s matchup remained scoreless through the first, but Kentucky got on the board in the second inning after their graduate infielder Ryan Nicholson hit a two-run homer off of a pitch by Illinois redshirt junior left-hander Payton Hutchings, putting the Wildcats up 2-0.
At the end of three, the score still sat at 2-0. The Illini responded in the fourth when redshirt senior infielder Brody Harding hit a single, bringing home redshirt senior catcher Jacob Schroeder and decreasing their deficit to 2-1.
Kentucky furthered their lead in the fifth inning when their sophomore utility player James McCoy doubled to deep center, allowing the Wildcats’ junior outfielder Ryan Waldschimdt to score and bringing the tally to 3-1. Strong pitching performances from both teams led to a scoreless sixth.
In the top of the seventh, Kentucky’s senior infielder Grant Smith singled and subsequently scored on a fielder’s choice by their junior infielder Emilien Pitre, increasing the Wildcats’ lead to 4-1.
Illinois senior right-hander Jake Rons replaced Hutchings in the eighth, giving up a two run-homer by Waldschimdt in the ninth which secured the Kentucky win. The full box score of Saturday’s game is available here.
If Illinois avoids elimination by winning their second matchup against Indiana State this afternoon, they will again face Kentucky. In order to advance to the NCAA Regional Superfinal, Illinois must beat Kentucky in back to back games.
