Illinois (14-12, 6-6) took care of Penn State (8-18, 3-6) in its fourth Big Ten series of the season. After a loss in which the Nittany Lions came back from down six, the Illini’s offense exploded in a victory on Saturday. On Sunday, the pitching staff went to work, throwing the second shutout of the season.
As has been the theme this season, the high-powered offense led the team. However, that wasn’t the case Friday, when Penn State came flying back to upset Illinois.
Late-game let-down
Illinois had about as good a start as it could have asked for. It loaded the bases in the first inning. A sacrifice fly from junior outfielder Collin Jennings and a single from redshirt junior third baseman Kyle Schupmann brought in two runs.
The Illini loaded the bases again in the second inning. A walk and a fielder’s choice brought the lead to four. Jennings hit a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 6-0 before Schupmann struck out to end the inning.
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The third and fourth innings were largely uneventful, with Penn State adding a pair of runs in the bottom frame of the fourth. Jennings put the Illini up 7-2 in the fifth with a solo home run, his fourth RBI of the game.
However, things went astray for Illinois in the bottom of the fifth. Not only was the pitching sloppy, but the defense was too. A wild pitch advanced a runner to second, who eventually scored.
A throwing error later in the inning brought in the tying run. All in all, the Nittany Lions scored five runs on five hits in the inning, chasing Illinois’ starter, senior righty Mitch Dye. Senior southpaw Sam Reed entered in relief and gave up three hits and a sacrifice fly before finally getting a groundout to end the inning.
The Illini managed to take the lead back in the sixth inning after an RBI single from senior infielder Jack Zebig.
It didn’t last long. Penn State tied the game again in the sixth with an RBI single of its own. Senior infielder Michael Anderson hit a solo shot in the eighth to put the Nittany Lions ahead, and the Illini fell, 9-8.
Offense wakes up
Game 2 started similarly to the first game. Illinois put up five runs in the first two innings, quickly taking the lead. Penn State answered with a two-run bottom of the second, but this time, Illinois was ready to respond.
It put up six runs over the next two innings, largely thanks to Jennings. The outfielder doubled in the third, eventually scoring on a wild pitch.
In the fourth, Jennings came to the plate with the bases loaded. With a 1-0 count, Jennings got a pitch right down the middle and sent it deep to center field. Schupmann sent one over the fence in the next at-bat to put Illinois up 11-2.
A pair of two-RBI doubles in the sixth from Schupmann and senior catcher Will Johannes gave the Illini a 15-5 lead. They plated another run in the frame and shut the Nittany Lions’ offense down to get the run-rule victory, 16-5.
Pitching proves potent
For just the second time this season, the Illini shut out their opponent. They had just one shutout in the previous two years combined.
Freshman left-hander Aidan Flinn got the start and was lights out for four innings. He gave up just two hits, both singles in the fourth inning. Senior lefty Reed Gannon toed the bump from the fifth inning onward and was even harder to hit.
He gave up only one hit in five innings and threw just 53 pitches while doing it. Gannon set down nine Nittany Lions in a row to end the game.
The offense did enough to win, putting up six runs across the game. Junior infielder J.R. Nelson’s three-hit, two-RBI day led the team. An RBI bunt early in the game helped Illinois take the lead, and his RBI single in the eighth added even more insurance to the victory.
Making up ground
Illinois is slowly but surely climbing the conference standings. The Illini currently sit at No. 6 with a record of 6-6 in the Big Ten. This weekend, Illinois heads to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on Purdue (19-8, 7-5), which is ahead of Illinois in the standings. A series win could bump the Illini up to No. 5 in the Big Ten.
Before that, the Illini have a midweek matchup with their in-state rivals, the Illinois State Redbirds (18-10). That game is scheduled for 5 p.m. CDT on Tuesday in Normal, Illinois.
@ben_some16
