Illinois Gets 20th Win by Beating Illinois State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois baseball team won Tuesday for the 20th time this season, beating Illinois State 4-2 at Illinois Field.

Illinois (20-8) was led on the mound by Zack Jones, who threw the best game of his career out of the bullpen. Jones (2-0) threw a career-high 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three to pick up the win.

Jones entered in the fourth and put up zeros through the seventh to give the Illini offense a chance to break the game open. Illinois managed just six hits, all singles, but plated two in the fifth to get to the winning margin.

Bren Spillane had a go-ahead RBI single and the next batter Michael Massey followed with a sac fly in the deciding fifth inning. Illinois' first two runs came on RBI singles from Jeff Korte and Grant Van Scoy in the second.

Illinois State (11-16), which entered the game with a top-75 RPI, stranded 11 base runners. Joe Aeilts and Bryce Grimm led ISU with two hits, while the Illini did a nice job pitching to Redbirds' star center fielder John Rave, who snapped a 17-game hitting streak by going 0-for-4.

Joey Gerber shut the door quickly in the ninth inning with two strikeouts in three batters faced. He needed only 14 pitches to earn his ninth save, tied for the fifth-most in an Illinois single season.

Tuesday was the start of a nine-game homestand for the Illini. Illinois continues the stand Friday at Illinois Field against Rutgers.

Notes

• Illinois is 19-5 in the last 24 games.
• Ben Troike extended his career-long reached base streak to 33 games.
• Illinois was outhit for the fourth straight game but is 3-1 in the last four games.  
• Illinois is 16-2 when leading after five innings.
• Joey Gerber is five saves away from tying Tyler Jay's single-season Illinois record of 14 saves.
• Illinois' 20th win came nearly a full month ahead of last season's pace, when the Illini won for the 20th time on May 7.
• Illinois State's John Rave snapped a 17-game hitting streak.
• Illinois basketball player Greg Eboigbodin threw out the ceremonial first pitch on International Student Night.