Illinois (8-6, 1-2) picked up a much-needed midweek win over in-state opponent Western Illinois (4-9) on Tuesday. The victory came on the heels of a series loss to Michigan (10-6, 2-1) in Florida.
Pitching trends up
Senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Daly started his first game of the season against Western Illinois. Daly has appeared in five games this season and has a 9.39 ERA to start the campaign.
The Plainfield native threw three innings of one-run ball on Tuesday evening. He only allowed one hit during his time on the mound. Illinois also used freshman outfielder Brayden Mazzacano for the next three innings after Daly’s night was finished.
Despite his classification as an outfielder, Mazzacano is the only two-way player on the roster. Having one of those players has allowed Illinois to be more flexible with how it uses the bullpen and sets the lineups.
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This is the second time Illinois has used Mazzacano on the mound this year. The first appearance was a start against Aurora (4-7) during Illinois’ home opener. Mazzacano only threw 30 pitches that game, surrendering two hits and one run. However, this occurred in one inning, as head coach Dan Hartleb called upon his bullpen for the rest of the affair.
Mazzacano has a 2.25 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP after this week’s solid performance. He finished with three innings and only three hits on the mound.
“I thought our first two pitchers went out and did a pretty good job staying ahead in the count,” Hartleb said. “I thought the first two pitchers, even though they had some walks or fell behind, were still able to put up zeros for the most part. That was important as we went through the evening.”
The lone hiccup from Illinois on the mound was after the team put in junior right-handed pitcher Mitch Dye. Dye only faced two batters on the mound and gave up two runs to allow Western Illinois back in the game despite being down 4-1 until the seventh inning.
Just keep scoring
Going into the eighth inning, Western Illinois and Illinois were knotted up at four apiece. Illinois’ patience at the plate struck at the right time, and the team scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Illinois had two players hit by pitches, and five players walked in the inning. The last score in this inning came from redshirt sophomore infielder Kyle Schupmann after he singled and brought two runs in. Schupmann had a solid game and went 2-4 at the plate, with his second hit being one of the most important.
Even with his performance, Illinois was still outhit in the final box score. Western Illinois finished with 10 hits, while Illinois only recorded seven.
“We just need to base runs and try to put pressure on them,” Hartleb said. “We got the first two guys on, and we bunted them over. We hit just a shallow fly ball instead of, again, staying on top of it and driving something.”
Weather played a factor
The game was played in decent conditions — a clear, dry night — but that did not mean the wind was absent from playing a role in the outcome. Gusts came toward home plate, affecting the way the ball was played off the bat.
Neither team cleared the fence despite having many flyouts near the wall. Both teams could have gotten some home run action if there hadn’t been any wind.
“You have to play the elements, and was it a factor?” Hartleb said. “I’m sure it was because we hit some balls that probably would have been out. I thought in the first inning or so, they hit some balls that could have been out in the park, too. It’s a factor.”
Illinois will stay home for a weekend series against Valparaiso (3-9) beginning Friday and ending Sunday. Each game will be live on Big Ten Plus and heard on the radio at 1400 AM WDWS.
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