CONWAY, S.C. -- Fighting Illini baseball (7-5) got back in the win column in a big way, tallying a season-high 14 hits en route to a 13-3 win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (9-5).
Joe Glassey came up big for Illinois in relief, tossing 4.2 scoreless frames, allowing just three hits while amassing a career-high nine strikeouts. Glassey entered the contest with one out and the bases loaded in the fifth and the Illini holding a five-run lead. With the hosts looking poised to get back into the contest, Glassey left the bags full by striking out the first two batters he faced.
The Lindenhurst, Ill., native then worked a 1-2-3 sixth and struck out the side in the seventh, all looking. Glassey allowed just two hits over his two final innings of work, earning his second win of the season.
The Illini were again first on the scoreboard, pushing a run across their first time up, but the Chants evened up the game immediately with a lead-off home run. Illinois responded with a three-spot in the second, with Camden Janik breaking the tie by scoring on a wild pitch, with Jacob Schroeder and Cal Hejza chipping in with an RBI each. Again, the hosts would scratch a run across in the bottom half, making it a 4-2 game.
The Orange and Blue continued to roll offensively, scoring three times again in the third, with Ryan Moerman driving in all the runs with his second home run of the season to right-center. Coastal Carolina was able to score another run, but Julius Sanchez was able to get out a bases-loaded one-out situation with a double-play that was spectacularly turned by Hejza, Coltin Quagliano and Drake Westcott.
Both teams were held scoreless in the fourth and Illinois made it an 8-3 game in the fifth when Moerman singled home Cam McDonald, who led off the inning with a double.
The Illini would break the game wide open in the eighth, scoring three times to make it 11-3. Janik started the inning with a solo shot, his third of the season, and Schroeder followed with an RBI-triple two batters later and Hejza also added an RBI-single. The offense continued to roll in the ninth, scoring two more times, with Schroeder picking up his second RBI of game and Hejza collecting his third.
Freshman Julius Sanchez turned in a solid start, working 4.1 innings and allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits to go along with three strikeouts.
Illinois goes for its third-straight series win tomorrow in the finale of this three-game set against Coastal Carolina to cap its season-long 13-game road trip. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. CT.
GAME NOTES
» Head coach Dan Hartleb picked up career win 514 and is just five wins away from passing Lee Eilbracht (518) for the most in program history.
» Branden Comia went 1-for-4 with a double, extending his on-base streak to 52 games.
» Drake Westcott went 1-for-3 with a run.
    » Westcott extended his hitting streak to eight games (9-for-31) and has three home runs, nine RBI and eight walks during that span.
» Ryan Moerman went 2-for-5 with a run, home run and four RBI.
    » Second time this season with four RBI, his season-high mark.
» Joe Glassey improved to 2-0 on the season.
    » 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R/ER, 3 BB, 9 SO
    » Career-high nine strikeouts.
    » Second time this season working 4.0+ innings in relief.
    » First scoreless outing this season.
» Every Illinois starter reached base safely in the win.
» The Illinois pitching staff combined to strike out 12 Coastal Carolina hitters.
» The Illini matched a season-high with 13 runs scored, the third time they've reached that mark this season.
    » Fourth game with double-digit runs scored.
» Illinois scored in six of the nine innings.
» Four Fighting Illini had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Chanticleers at a 14-9 clip.
» Illinois went 6-for-18 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois pitchers faced 42 Coastal Carolina hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out 12.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
