GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Illinois baseball team came up short in their season opener at Fluor Field on Friday, 6-3. The Illini battled in a 13-inning contest, fighting back three times throughout the game to tie up the score. They were unable to take the lead at any point.
Sophomore RHP Andrew Hoffmann got the start in his Illini debut. He went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, while striking out eight with no walks. He threw 87 pitches for the day. Sophomores Ryan Kutt (3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R) and Nathan Lavender (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 SO) each had strong days out of the bullpen.
Illinois (0-1) fell behind right away in the first inning. A couple of singles found holes through the infield, along with a wild pitch to give the Buckeyes the edge.
The Illini responded in the third with a leadoff double by freshman Brody Harding followed by a single from junior Taylor Jackson. Sophomore Kellen Sarver brought home Harding with an RBI groundout to the right side of the infield.
Ohio State (1-0) took the lead again in the fifth, but an RBI single from Jackson brought home junior Nathan Aide who led off the inning with a walk.
The teams would trade blows once more with the Buckeyes regaining the lead in the seventh before sophomore Ryan Hampe knocked in Branden Comia in the eighth.
In the 13th inning, Ohio State finally took the lead for good with three runs crossing the plate.
Illinois will look to bounce back tomorrow against Ohio State with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT. The first game will be a 7-inning contest and the second will be a full 9-inning game. Freshman Riley Gowens will be on the hill for game one and sophomore Ty Rybarczyk will throw in game two.
