CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Jack Yalowitz homered and drove in four runs Sunday to lead the Illinois baseball team to a 10-8 win over Northwestern. The Illini clinched the three-game weekend series 2-1.
Illinois (14-19, 3-6 Big Ten) scored five runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to turn a 3-3 game into a 10-3 lead. Northwestern (13-22, 3-6 Big Ten) answered with four runs in the top of the eighth and one in the ninth before closer Joey Gerber finished off the Wildcats.
Yalowitz led Illinois with three hits, including his fifth-inning homer and a two-run single in the sixth. He leads the team with a .360 batting average and 31 RBIs this season and is second among Illini with seven homers.
Illinois batted around in the big sixth inning after Mark Skonieczny led off with a triple down the right field line. Michael Massey had a two-run single and Doran Turchin added an RBI knock up the middle. Turchin, Dan Rowbottom and Ben Troike all had two hits in the game.
Ryan Schmitt (2-1) got the win although starter Matthew James was the most effective of any Illini pitcher in his first career Big Ten start. James went 5 2/3 innings while allowing three runs on five hits before Schmitt threw 1 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on six hits. Gerber got out of an eighth-inning jam before allowing a run in the ninth to finish with two innings pitched and one earned run surrendered.
It was a productive series for the Illini lineup, batting .300 (33-110) with a .378 on-base percentage as a team in the three games. Rowbottom hit .500 (5-10) with a homer and five runs scored, including three runs Sunday. Pat McInerney and Yalowitz also had five hits in the series and Doran Turchin led the Illini with six hits.
Northwestern was forced to use seven pitchers Sunday, none longer than 2 2/3 innings. Illinois scored off of five of them.
The Wildcats were led by Connor Lind's two hits and four RBIs. Joe Hoscheit had three hits and scored three times.
Illinois hosts Western Michigan at Illinois Field in two days before a trip to Purdue next weekend.
