Illinois Drops 13-Inning Game at Illinois State

NORMAL, Ill. -- Illinois State's Joe Aeilts hit a walk-off double in the 13th inning Tuesday to beat the Illinois baseball team 7-6 at Duffy Bass Field. It was the longest game in the 89-game history of the Illinois vs. Illinois State series dating back to 1939.

"It was a tough one to lose," said head coach Dan Hartleb. "We did compete very well. I'll take the energy we had. I'll take the heart we had. There were a lot of things that bit us, that happens sometimes in baseball. We have to regroup a little bit and go after this weekend."

Illinois (20-11) held a 6-4 lead after five innings but was blanked in the final eight frames on three hits. The Illini stranded 14 base runners and Illinois State stranded 13 in the game that featured 440 pitches and lasted 4:47. 

Illinois outhit Illinois State 14-8 as the two teams combined for 117 plate appearances. There was a run on an obstruction, an out on an appeal, and plenty of other irregular plays. 

Illinois State (18-14) won the game with one out in the 13th on Aeilts' double to left center that was just out of the reach of left fielder Andrew Dyke. Dyke dove full extension on the warning track but could not secure the catch as Derek Parola, who started the inning with a walk, came home to score. 

Illinois' bullpen gave the Illini a chance by allowing only three runs in 8 2/3 innings. Six Illini combined on the effort out of the 'pen, as Garrett Acton (1-2) took the loss despite throwing his first three innings shutout. 

Jack Yalowitz led Illinois with four hits, including three doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Kellen Sarver, Cam McDonald and Grant Van Scoy each had two hits with Van Scoy's extending his hitting streak to a career-long 11 games. 

Illinois State was led on the mound by Colton Johnson's one-hit effort in 5 1/3 innings. The Redbirds' bullpen shut out Illinois over 8 2/3 innings. 

Illinois snapped a nine-game winning streak against Illinois State. The Illini swept three games from Illinois State earlier this season and won the season series 3-1.

Illinois is back to Big Ten play this weekend for a three-game series at Minnesota. The series is scheduled to start Friday, but continue to check IlliniBaseball.com for updates as poor weather is in the forecast.

Notes

• Illinois played its longest game since a 15-inning, 1-0 win over Ohio State 4/22/2016. Cody Sedlock threw 10 2/3 innings and struck out 14 in the win. 
• Illinois is 1-1 in extra-inning games.
• Illinois and Illinois State played the longest game in the 89-game history of the series dating back to 1939.
• Illinois is 56-33 all-time against Illinois State since the two teams first met in 1939.
• Yalowitz is the first Illini to hit three doubles in a game since May 21, 2010 when Casey McMurray hit three against Indiana. Yalowitz was one double away from tying the Illinois and Big Ten record of four.
• Grant Van Scoy extended his career-long hitting streak to 11 games and his career-long reached base streak of 14 games. 
• Illinois dropped to 18-3 when leading or tied after seven innings.