CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Illini won the third and final game of this weekend's three-game series on Sunday against Kansas, 7-1. Illinois (1-2) picked up their first win of the season after dropping the first two games of the weekend series with the Jayhawks. Sophomore LHP Payton Hutchings impressed in his first career start on the mound, earning his first career win and allowing just one run on eight hits in 6.0 innings of work. The Illini racked up 12 hits to take down the Jayhawks on Sunday afternoon in Corpus Christi.
The Orange and Blue jumped out to a lead in the third inning as junior INF Branden Comia drove in his first run of the season on a single to left field. Junior INF Kellen Sarver followed with his first homer of the season, a two-run shot down the right field line to extend the Illini lead to three heading into the fourth inning.
Illinois would tack on four more, allowing Kansas (2-1) to score just one in the remaining five frames. Sarver went 3-for-5 on the afternoon, finishing a triple shy of the cycle and tallying 2 RBIs, while sophomore OF Danny Doligale added two hits and two RBIs. Sophomore INF Cal Hejza was the third Illini with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Â
Illinois will travel to Conway, South Carolina next weekend for games against Middle Tennessee and Coastal Carolina, followed by UNC-Wilmington in Wilmington, N.C. to wrap up the weekend.
Notes
• Payton Hutchings earned his first career start and win on the mound for the Illini.
• Ryan Moerman got his first collegiate hit in the fourth inning, a double to the left-center field gap.
• Izaak Siefken made his collegiate debut, coming out of the bullpen in the 7th inning.
• Attendance was 237.
• Two of the three games this weekend finished in under three hours.
