NORMAL, Ill. - No. 11 Illinois scored seven runs over the final three innings and came back twice to earn its 11th straight win with a 7-3 victory on Tuesday. The Illini jumped in front 2-1 in the top of the seventh, fell behind 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh and responded with a four-run eighth to regain the lead for good following the game-winning hit from senior
Will Krug.
"It was a tough game," head coach Dan Hartleb said. "We weren't very sharp early. We walked eight people, which is very uncharacteristic of our team. We still found a way to win. We've got that belief that we are going to win every day and guys keep picking each other up. We got the hits late when we needed them."
Illinois owns the longest active winning streak in the country and has won 11 games in a row for the first time since 1997 when it rolled off 13 consecutive victories. The Illini continued the best start in program history at 30-6-1, improved to 7-0 in midweek games and picked up their 13th comeback win.
Illinois State pushed across the first run with an RBI single in the fourth. Starter Rob McDonnell limited the damage in the frame by leaving the bases loaded with a strikeout and pop out.
The Orange and Blue only managed four hits in the first six stanzas and trailed 1-0 heading to the seventh. Senior Casey Fletcher singled and junior Jason Goldstein was hit by a pitch before senior David Kerian moved both into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
Sophomore Matthew James brought home the tying run with an RBI groundout to first, while sophomore Ryne Roper, who went 3-for-4, laced an RBI single off the shortstop's glove for a 2-1 edge.
ISU's All-American Paul DeJong drove in two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but Ryne Roper later turned a double play with the bases loaded to keep it close. Redshirt-junior Andrew Mamlic, who picked up his second win, rolled the twin killing to the only batter he faced.
The start of the eighth nearly mirrored the seventh for the Illini. Junior Ryan Nagle and redshirt-senior Reid Roper each singled and advanced on sophomore Pat McInerney's sacrifice bunt. Fletcher tied it at three with an RBI groundout to second.
Krug came to the plate as a pinch-hitter, falling behind 0-2. He drilled the next pitch to right and pushed across two runs with a clutch single. Kerian later scored on a wild pitch for the fourth run in the frame. Reid Roper knocked in Walton for an insurance run in the top of the ninth.
Junior Nick Blackburn posted zeroes in both the eighth and ninth for his first career save.
The Illini defeated the Redbirds in front of the biggest crowd ever at Duffy Bass Field (1,977).
Up Next: No. 11 Illinois will host a three-game series against Indiana at Illinois Field this weekend (April 17-19).
