MINNEAPOLIS -- The Illinois baseball team rallied for four runs in the eighth inning Friday to beat No. 11 UCLA, 5-3, at U.S. Bank Stadium. Grant Van Scoy had the game-winning hit, a two-run single with the score tied 3-3 in the eighth.
Illinois (4-3) forced UCLA relievers to throw 45 pitches to eight batters in the eighth inning (5.6 pitches per batter). The Illini walked three times and had two hits, one from Doran Turchin and Van Scoy's go-ahead single up the middle. All four Illini runs came with the No. 8 and No. 9 spots in the order at the plate, as pinch-hitter Mark Skonieczny drew a bases-loaded walk before a wild pitch and Van Scoy's single.
UCLA (7-2) held a 3-1 lead entering the eighth. The Illini went up 1-0 on a Turchin single to score Michael Massey, who had doubled, in the fourth and held the lead until UCLA scored three times in the seventh.
Quinn Snarskis gave Illinois its best pitching performance of the season, going 5 2/3 innings without allowing a run. He scattered five hits and struck out four in his first Friday start.
Snarskis went toe-to-toe with highly-touted UCLA ace Jake Bird. Illinois managed seven hits and struck out just twice against Bird, but the right-hander only allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings.
Ryan Thompson (1-0) earned the win in relief by going two innings without allowing a hit. Thompson got a double play and a ground out to end the seventh inning after entering the game with the bases loaded and one out. He pitched a clean eighth and closer Joey Gerber worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save, as Illinois sat down the final eight UCLA batters in a row.
Illinois is back Saturday at the DQ Classic against Arizona.
Notes
• The win was Illinois' first top-15 victory since beating No. 10 Oklahoma State twice in 2015.
• Ben Troike extended his career-long hitting streak to 12 games.
• All nine Illini starters reached base at least once.
• Illinois is joined by Big Ten's Michigan State and Minnesota and the Pac-12's UCLA, Arizona and Washington in the weekend's DQ Classic.
