CONWAY, S.C. -- Northeastern broke out a 7-0 lead by the fifth inning to beat the Illinois baseball team 8-1 at Springs Brooks Stadium. Illinois (7-3) finished the weekend 1-3 after bringing a 6-0 record and top-25 ranking to the Coastal Carolina Tournament.
"We didn't play very well this weekend," said head coach Dan Hartleb. "You look at today's game, we faced a very good pitcher that threw well. We got dominated in all three categories today."
Northeastern (5-5) tied a season-high with 13 hits. Sean Mellen threw seven shutout innings, allowing only three hits and striking out nine.
Illinois broke up the shutout in the ninth with an RBI single by Grant Van Scoy. Michael Michalak had two hits and Kellen Sarver extended his hitting streak to six games.
Illinois heads to Phoenix next for a three-game series Friday-Sunday at Grand Canyon.
