DELAND, Fla. – Another good pitching performance Saturday carried the Illinois baseball team to a 4-1 win over Stetson in the Illini's second game of the Stetson Invitational. Doug Hayes allowed one run over 5.0 innings for the win and the bullpen was unblemished in the final four frames.
"Our pitchers executed pitches all night," said catcher Jason Goldstein. "And we got a big inning, something we have lacked this year."
Illinois (5-3) struck first, scoring three times with two outs in the fifth inning. Michael Hurwitz took a 2-2 pitch through the right side for an RBI single and Anthony Drago's ground ball to shortstop in the next at bat was mishandled, resulting in two unearned runs on an error by the shortstop.
Hayes (2-1) was untouchable in the first four innings, striking out seven of the first 14 batters, before getting into trouble in the fifth. It took the lefty more than 30 pitches to get through the fifth, while allowing run on three hits, before his eighth punch out of the day ended the threat and added one to his career-best strikeout total.
J.D. Nielsen went the next 2.1 innings, Cole Bellair got two outs in three batters and Nick Blackburn did not allow a hit in the ninth for his third save of the season. The Illini bullpen owns four saves and a 1.77 ERA over the last seven games (20.1 innings pitched).
Goldstein led Illinois with two hits, as baserunners – and contact – were hard to come by for both teams. The two teams combined for 12 hits and 25 strikeouts in a battle of quality pitching outings.
Nine-hole hitter Jack Yalowitz added an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI single to drive home fellow freshman Doran Turchin, who had doubled to start the inning.
Brooks Wilson (1-2) was the tough-luck loser for Stetson (5-6), despite allowing only one earned run and striking out seven. The Stetson error in the fifth should have got Wilson out of the inning, but instead it gave the Illini the lead it did not relinquish.
The Fighting Illini look for the Stetson Invitational sweep tomorrow against Villanova. Andrew Mamlic is scheduled to get his third straight Sunday start.
