The Illini (20-13, 9-6) played three very different types of games this weekend against the Indiana Hoosiers (20-16, 10-8).
Illinois won a nail-biter Friday night behind strong pitching, lost in blowout fashion Saturday and then returned the favor with a run-rule victory Sunday.
During the series, the Illini showed they have the tools once again to make the improbable climb up the conference standings.
Putting them all together, as they did Sunday, would make the path much clearer. Friday, however, showed that they are just as capable of winning with Earl Weaver’s “pitching, defense and three-run homers” style.
Pitching proves dominant
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Entering Friday, the Illini had not won a game this season in which they scored fewer than six runs. They only put four on the board that night. Thanks to the pitching of junior right-hander Tyler Schmitt and sophomore left-hander Zach Bates, four was enough.
Bates sealed the win with a tightrope act in the ninth inning. The left-hander, working with a two-run lead, walked freshman infielder Will Moore to begin the frame. Bates then hit number nine hitter and redshirt senior catcher Jake Stadler to bring the go-ahead run to the plate.
No. 20 MLB Draft prospect and junior outfielder Devin Taylor represented that run and strolled into the box.
On a 2-1 count, Bates hurled a fastball high and tight to Taylor.
Taylor swung and sent the offering chopping back up the middle. Junior shortstop Jack Zebig snared it, then stepped on second and fired to first for the double play.
The inning wasn’t over yet. With two outs and a runner on third, Big Ten RBI leader and redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson now represented the tying run.
The slugger proved no match for Bates, who struck him out swinging to deliver Illinois the win.
Bates’ inning was an impressive performance, and it wasn’t the only of the weekend. Two starting pitchers turned in their best performances of the season.
Schmitt spun seven innings of one-run ball before Bates pitched Friday. Schmitt struck out six and allowed just three hits.
Sophomore left-hander Regan Hall fired a run-rule-shortened complete game Sunday. The southpaw allowed only one run and breezed through his seven innings of work with just 72 pitches.
Illinois’ staff held Indiana’s fearsome duo of Taylor and Dickerson to 5 for 26 (.192) with two extra-base hits, both doubles.
The Hoosiers have offense beyond just their top two hitters, as evidenced by Saturday, but the Illini’s success against the pair shows that they can put away any batter in the county.
Offense slumps, breaks out in big way
There had been little question about the Illini’s hitting entering the series, but the offensive unit started this weekend uncharacteristically slow.
They struggled in the chilly air Friday night, and couldn’t get anything going against conference WHIP leader and redshirt senior right-hander Cole Gilley on Saturday.
Illinois broke out of its mini-slump Sunday with a 15-run outburst. Senior outfielder Vytas Valincius laid waste to Hoosier pitching, notching seven RBI. Valincius also slugged a three-run homer Friday, meaning he totaled ten RBI and four extra-base hits in the series.
In addition to Valincius, redshirt sophomore infielder Kyle Schupmann and sophomore outfielder Collin Jennings also homered this weekend.
The Illini didn’t homer on Sunday, instead scoring all 15 runs while keeping the ball in the yard. The fact that Illinois can thrive without the long ball is a promising sign. The team plays homer-averse Washington (18-19, 9-6) and Rutgers (17-19, 6-9) in the coming weeks.
Illinois’ road to first from fifth, where it currently sits in the standings, will rely on whether it’s capable of combining the shut-down pitching it’s shown with its ever-dangerous offense.
@BrendanGallian
