CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Mark Skonieczny hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth Sunday to give the Illinois baseball team an 8-6 win over No. 24 Maryland in the deciding game of a three-game series. Skonieczny's second homer of the season came with two outs on a 0-2 count and the teams already seven minutes past Maryland's predetermined travel curfew.
No half inning would have started after the bottom of the ninth due to the curfew. Without Skonieczny's home run off of Maryland reliever Andrew Miller, who entered with a season ERA below 1.00, the game would have ended in a tie.
Illinois (21-24, 7-11 Big Ten) climbed back to within one game of eighth place in the Big Ten standings, the final spot to make the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini are 7-11 in conference play, while Northwestern and Michigan State are tied for eighth at 8-10.
Maryland (31-15, 14-7 Big Ten) trailed the Illini 6-2 in the top of the ninth but managed to tie the game when Maryland's Will Watson hit a two-run home run after Nick Dunn drove in two runs off a double, both with two outs. Watson's home run was his second of the game and fourth of the season.
Illini starter Matthew James allowed two earned runs on seven hits through six innings while striking out six and only walking one. He was in line for the win until Maryland's half of the ninth but had to settle for a no-decision.
The Illini never gave up the lead and scored in the second, fifth, seventh and ninth innings. Illinois' first run of the game came in the bottom of the second when Michael Massey hit his sixth home run of the season, putting him one away from entering Illinois' freshman single-season top ten list. Illinois scored three in the fifth which gave the Illini a 4-0 lead over the Terrapins.
With the Illini leading 4-2 in the seventh, the Terrapins had runners on first and third with no outs but could only score one before the inning ended. The Illini immediately answered back with a two-run homerun from Pat McInerney which was his 13th of the season.
The Terrapins once again had runners in scoring position with the bases loaded with only one out in the top of the eighth before Illinois closer Joey Gerber came in and retired two batters with two strikeouts to end the inning. Gerber stayed in for the ninth looking for his eighth save before Maryland tied it up.
Maryland left nine runners on base and went 4 for 22 with runners on.
Illinois has won two straight Big Ten series and three of its last four. Illinois is 15-8 since March 31 after a 6-16 start to the season.
The Illini are at Rutgers next weekend for a three-game series, the team's last regular season road trip.
Skonieczny's Walk-Off
Full Highlights
Photos and Dave Loane's Call
