MINNEAPOLIS — Riley Gowens threw five scoreless innings and Cam McDonald hit a two-run homer to lead the Illinois baseball team to a 6-2 win over No. 25 West Virginia at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Illini moved to 1-1 at the Cambria College Classic ahead of Sunday's finale against Kansas.
Illinois (3-5) did not allow an earned run thanks to Gowens, 3 1/3 innings from Jack Wenninger, and two outs from Ty Rybarczyk. Wenninger struck out five and carried a combined one-hitter to the ninth inning.
Gowens (1-0) was dominant in his first start of the year. He struck out eight, walked two, and only allowed one hit. Illinois held West Virginia to 3-for-27 (.103) for the game and 1-for-14 (.071) with runners in scoring position.
Illinois opened the scoring with McDonald's homer in the second inning, then kept the game 2-0 through the first six innings. Cal Hejza hit an RBI double in the seventh, Brody Harding had and RBI double in the eighth, and Justin Janas provided an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth.
McDonald's first homer of the year was a towering shot down the left field line. It stayed just inside the foul pole and easily cleared the 328-foot sign on the wall.
Illinois will look for a winning weekend tomorrow when it faces Kansas at 2 p.m. CT. Andrew Pogue is scheduled to get his first start of the season on the mound.
Notes
• Jacob Campbell extended his hitting streak to 10 games dating back to 5/29/2021.
• Ryan Moerman, Brody Harding, and Cam McDonald all had two-hit games.
• McDonald had three RBIs, the most by an Illini this season.
• Illinois tied a season high by striking out 13 (Gowens 8, Wenninger 5)
• Illinois moved to 7-2 all-time at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.
