CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Doug Hayes put up one of the best Illinois baseball pitching performances in recent years by throwing only 94 pitches in a one-hitter against Penn State, as the Illini cruised to a 6-1 win. Hayes induced 18 groundouts, while facing one batter over the minimum.
"I was focusing on attacking hitters with my fastball and trying to get quick outs," said Hayes. "That four-run fourth inning was huge. I was able to go out there and pitch with confidence."
It was the Fighting Illini's first one-hitter since since Mike Stankiewicz at Northwestern in 2007. Both Hayes and Stankiewicz were former walk-ons.
Hayes allowed a leadoff triple in the fourth for one of only two Penn State base runners. He threw 64 strikes and 30 balls to eclipse his previous career high in innings by three.
Pat McInerney led the offense with three hits and Jason Goldstein and Anthony Drago both hit home runs in the fourth inning. Drago's was a three-run shot to break the game open.
Illinois (10-10, 2-0 Big Ten) won its 22nd straight regular season Big Ten game.
Penn State (9-12, 0-2 Big Ten) and the Illini meet again at 3 p.m. today on Big Ten Network.
