CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Ohio State scored eight unearned runs Sunday to beat the Illinois baseball team 10-5 at Illinois Field. The Buckeyes clinched the series 2-1.
Illinois (27-16, 11-7 Big Ten) made a season-high four errors, including three on sac bunt attempts. The Illini had made only four errors in their previous seven games combined.Â
Ohio State (30-15, 11-7 Big Ten) capitalized on Illinois' miscues with five runs in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead, an advantage that never got below four runs. The Buckeyes won a series in Champaign for the first time since 2009 after losing three straight.
Kobie Foppe and Noah West led Ohio State with two hits and four RBIs each. West hit a key three-RBI double with two outs in the seventh to make the score 10-3.
Bren Spillane homered for Illinois, his 18th home run of the season. Spillane is tied with Bubba Smith's 1991 season for fourth on Illinois' single-season home run records list.Â
Spillane, Jeff Korte and Doran Turchin all had two hits for the Illini. Illinois and Ohio State were even with nine hits.Â
Ty Weber (4-3) started and took the loss by allowing five runs (one earned) in 1 1/3 innings. Illinois was forced to use six pitchers.
Illinois is back on the diamond Friday at Michigan for the start of a three-game series.Â
Notes
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Ben Troike has reached base in all 43 games this season. His current reached base streak is 48 dating back to the final five games of last season, the longest active streak in the Big Ten.
• Illinois' three-game attendance of 5,513 is its eighth-most for a series in program history.
• Illinois is 102-104-2 all-time against Ohio State, including 55-48 in Champaign.
