CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois baseball (22-13, 9-2) clinched a sixth-straight series win by defeating Northwestern (12-22, 2-9), 7-1, today at Illinois Field.
Connor Milton had a perfect game at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored, a double, two home runs and four RBI. Milton set career-high marks in hits, runs, home runs, RBI and total bases in the contest. Cal Hejza, Camden Janik, Drake Westcott and Coltin Quagliano all had two hits in the ballgame.
Cooper Omans improved to 4-1 on the season by twirling his second quality start of the season. The southpaw worked a season-high 7.0 innings, giving up one run on two hits, allowing three walks and striking out four. Jake Rons and Julius Sanchez each pitched 1.0 innings in relief, combining to allow just one hit and whiffing two batters.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Illini used a two-out rally in the second to get on the board first. Brody Harding singled to extend the frame and would score all the way from first on Quagliano's RBI-double. Milton kept the line moving with an infield-single and Hejza would score Quagliano on an RBI-single.
The 2-0 lead was more than enough for Omans, who kept the Wildcats scoreless through seven. The Oviedo, Fla., native, faced just one batter over the minimum through the fifth and did not allow a runner to reach third base during his outing. Omans worked efficiently, needing just 76 pitches to record 21 outs.
Illinois would double their lead in the fourth when Milton crushed a two-run shot to left and made it 4-0. The Illini pushed another run across in the seventh on Westcott's RBI single and Milton put the exclamation point on the game with a two-run blast to right in eighth, making it 7-1.
Sanchez picked up two strikeouts in his one-two-three ninth to give Illinois their sixth-straight win.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini are back in action tomorrow with the series finale vs. Northwestern. First pitch from Illinois Field is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
GAME NOTES
» Connor Milton went 4-for-4 with three runs, a double, two home runs and four RBI.
    » First-career four-hit day and first-career two-home run game.
    » Also set career-high marks in runs, RBI and total bases (10).
    » Has back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time in his career.
» Coltin Quagliano went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and an RBI.
    » Extended his hitting streak to 14 games...has gone 25-for-52 (.481) with six doubles, three home runs and 19 RBI during that span.
    » Leads the team with 37 RBI.
» Cal Hejza went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
    » Has hit safely in five-straight...has four two-hit games during that span.
» Drake Westcott went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
    » Has hit safely in five of his last six...has multi-hit performances in all five of those contests.
» Cooper Omans fired his second quality start of the season to improve to 4-1.
    » 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1 HBP
    » Season-high in innings pitched.
» Julius Sanchez tallied two strikeouts in the ninth inning of today's game.
    » Has fanned five batters in 3.0 innings over three games.
» Illinois picked up its sixth-straight victory, one shy of matching its season high.
» The Illini have won 11-straight Big Ten contests at Illinois Field, dating back to last season.
    » Longest such streak since winning 18-straight from May 2, 2014, to March 26, 2016.
» Illinois improves to 13-1 at Illinois Field this season...have won 11-straight home contests.
» Five Fighting Illini had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Wildcats at a 14-3 clip.
» Illinois went 4-for-12 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois pitchers faced 33 Northwestern hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and 11 fly balls while striking out six.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
