COLLEGE PARK, Md.  -- Illinois baseball (25-14, 11-3) saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end with a 9-8 defeat at Maryland (27-17, 7-10) today at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.
Camden Janik, Connor Milton and Jacob Schroeder all had three-hit games, with the trio combining to 9-for-14 with three runs scored, a home run, off the bat of Schroeder, five RBI and a walk. Vytas Valincius also went yard in the contest, going 1-for-3 with two runs, a home run, two RBI and two walks.
Payton Hutchings, who did not factor in the decision, turned in an excellent relief outing, holding Maryland to just one run on two hits over 4.1 innings of work, while striking out two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Terrapins jumped out to a 4-0 lead after their first trip to the plate, but the Illini answered back when Schroeder crushed his 12th home run of the season, a three-run shot to left, to cut the lead to one.
Maryland responded with a run in the second to make it 5-3, but Illinois played long ball again in the third when Valincius blasted a two-run homer over the batter's eye to make it 5-5.
The Terrapins continued to score, plating three in the bottom of the third to make it 8-5. The Illini scratched a run across in the fourth when Janik singled home Coltin Quagliano to make it 8-6.
After stranding both inherited runners in the third, Hutchings rattled off three-straight scoreless frames to cool down the Maryland offense and keep the Orange and Blue within striking distance.
The hosts pushed a run across in the seventh to make it 9-6 but Illinois battled back again in the eighth. Janik was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Milton was then able to score on a wild pitch to make it 9-8.
The Illini would bring the tying run to the plate twice in the ninth, but were unable to come up with the decisive hit, falling 9-8.
UP NEXT
Illinois returns to action tomorrow in the rubber match of this three-game series. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. CT.
GAME NOTES
» Camden Janik went 3-for-4 with a run, two RBI and was hit by a pitch.
    » Extended his hitting streak to six games...has gone 12-for-25 (.480) during that span with two doubles, a home run and 11 RBI.
» Connor Milton went 3-for-5 with a run.
    » Fourth multi-hit game in his last six...third game with at least three hits during that span.
» Jacob Schroeder went 3-for-5 with a run, home run and three RBI.
    » His 12 home runs are tied for the team lead and are tired-for-second most in the Big Ten.
» Vytas Valincius went 1-for-3 with two runs, a home run, two RBI and two walks.
    » Has three home runs and eight RBI in his last three games.
» Coltin Quagliano went 1-for-4 with two runs and a walk.
    » Extended his career-best hitting streak to 18 games...has gone 33-for-69 (.478) with six doubles, five home runs and 25 RBI during that span.
» Illinois batters had a total of 15 hits in the game.
» Illinois left 10 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Terrapins at a 15-11 clip.
» Illinois pitchers faced 41 Maryland hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out five.
» The Fighting Illini drew four walks from Maryland pitching.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
