CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Down to its last strike, Illinois baseball (6-10) scored twice to walk off Southern Indiana (8-9), 2-1, on Friday night at Illinois Field.
Cameron Chee-Aloy went 2-for-5 with an RBI at the plate, with his second hit of the ballgame scoring Christian Smith in the ninth to deliver the win.
Jack Crowder, who did not factor in the decision, tossed 7.0 innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and striking out five, for his second quality start of the season.Â
Korey Bunselmeyer, who earned the win, turned in 2.0 scoreless frames of relief, whiffing four batters.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Screaming Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the second with a solo home run and would take that lead all the way into the ninth.
The Illini pitching staff would keep the home team in the game by keeping the visitors scoreless over the next seven innings. Crowder and Bunselmeyer combined for seven strikeouts and yielded just three hits down the stretch.
In the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Moerman would single with one out and Brody Harding would follow with a walk. Jacob Schroeder bounced into a fielder's choice, putting runners on the corners with two outs for Chee-Aloy. On a 1-2 count, Moerman would race home on a passed ball to tie the game. The freshman would then work the count full and drive the second payoff pitch of the at-bat back up the middle to score Smith, giving the Orange and Blue the 2-1 walk-off victory.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini continue this three-game set against Southern Indiana tomorrow, with first pitch from Illinois Field scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
GAME NOTES
» Cameron Chee-Aloy went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
    » Second multi-hit game of the season.
    » First walk-off hit of his career.
    » Has reached base safely in 13 of 14 games this season...has a hit in 12 of 14.
» Vytas Valincius went 1-for-3 with a walk.
    » Has hit safely in seven of his last eight games.
» Jack Crowder tossed his second quality start of the season...did not factor into the decision.
    » 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 1 HBP
    » Career-high in innings pitched.
» Korey Bunselmeyer worked 2.0 scoreless innings in relief.
    » Amassed a career-high four strikeouts.
» Illinois pitchers limited Southern Indiana to just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois pitchers faced 35 Southern Indiana hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out nine.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
