Note: Illinois and Purdue may move the start time for Saturday's game to no earlier than 12 p.m. CT due to rain. A decision will be announced Saturday morning. The game is currently scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Zac Taylor hit a walk-off three-run homer with two outs in the 12th inning to give the No. 25 Illinois baseball team a 5-2 win over Purdue at Illinois Field. Taylor also scored the tying run in the ninth to get Illinois to extras on a Jack Yalowitz single with two outs, answering Purdue's go-ahead run in the top half of the inning.
"It was pretty awesome. Great feeling obviously to go out there and help the team out like that," said Taylor. "That kid had a nice slider tonight. It was a pitch you had to see up and luckily I saw that one up."
It was the eighth homer of the year for Taylor, who went 2-for-6 with two runs and the three RBIs.
Taylor got the opportunity after Illinois (32-16, 11-8 Big Ten) cut down the potential go-ahead run in the top 12th in an eventful inning over four hours after first pitch. Yalowitz played a Zac Fascia double perfectly off the wall, relayed the ball into first baseman Kellen Sarver who threw to catcher Jacob Campbell to tag Skyler Hunter at the plate and end the half inning with the game still tied.
The Illini's pitching was fantastic to put the team in a position to win. Reigning National Pitcher of the Week Andy Fisher started and delivered another excellent outing, going the first 7 1/3 innings while allowing only one run on seven scattered hits. Quinten Sefcik (0.2 IP, 0 R, 2 SO), Garrett Acton (2.0 IP, 1 R, 2 SO) and Sean Leland (2.0, 0 R, 4 SO) finished out the 12-inning marathon for Illinois with a combined eight strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Purdue (19-29, 8-10 Big Ten) outhit Illinois, 11-9, but went only 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Boilermakers scored the go-ahead run in the ninth on three bunts, two for hits.
The two teams are back at Illinois Field on Saturday for a scheduled 3 p.m. CT first pitch, although the start time could be moved up due to forecasted rain.
Highlights
Notes
• Illinois has won 10 of its last 13 games.
• Illinois is 10-3 in its last 13 Big Ten games. After starting conference play 1-5, Illinois is now 11-8.
• Illinois hit its first walk-off homer at Illinois Field since Mark Skonieczny's two-run homer to beat No. 24 Maryland 5/7/2017.
• Illinois is 16-4 at home.
• Illinois is 4-1 in extra-inning games, including three straight wins.
• Andy Fisher's streak of 12 1/3 straight scoreless innings was snapped in the fifth.
• Andy Fisher is fourth in the Big Ten in batting average against (.200), fourth in innings (81.2), fourth in strikeouts (82) and eighth in ERA (2.53).
• Illinois played error-free. The Illini lead the nation in fewest errors per game (0.625).
• Illinois has played error-free in 10 of the last 14 games. Illinois has only four errors in the last 14 games.
• Illinois has a fielding percentage of .989 in Big Ten games (eight errors in 19 games). Illinois set the Big Ten record of .986 in 1981.
• Opponent are hitting .201 with runners in scoring position against Illinois this season (86/428), including 27-155 (.174) with runners in scoring position at Illinois Field. Purdue was 1-6.
• Illinois is 29-5 when issuing fewer than seven walks. The Illini are 3-11 when walking seven or more (of those 14 games, 11 have been on the road and one has been a neutral site game.)
• Illinois is outscoring opponents 27-8 in the first inning. Illinois has allowed only five earned runs in the first inning for a 0.94 team ERA in the opening frame. Andy Fisher has yet to allow a first inning earned run.
• Hitting streaks: Massey 5, Yalowitz 4
• Reached base streaks: Massey 16, Michalak 6, Yalowitz 4
• Illinois is ranked No. 25 by D1Baseball.
