CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois baseball (29-16, 14-5) opened its final home series of the season with a 10-5 victory over Iowa (28-19, 13-9), tonight at Illinois Field.
Drake Westcott went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, home run, two RBI and a walk. Brody Harding also homered as part of a 2-for-3 game, also scoring twice and driving in two. Coltin Quagliano launched a solo shot of his own, as the three homers brought the Illini's total to 91 on the campaign, matching the single-season program record. Eight starters collected a hit in the ballgame and four had multi-hit efforts.
Jack Crowder started on the mound and picked up the win. The right-hander went 6.0 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and striking out five. The Orange and Blue bullpen got scoreless outings from Ben Plumley, Jake Rons and Korey Bunselmeyer to help seal the win. The trio allowed just two hits over the final 3.0 innings of the contest, combining for four strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Crowder began the game with a quick 1-2-3 inning, the Illini would jump in front, thanks to a two-out, two-run double off the bat of Ryan Moerman.
A second-straight perfect inning from Crowder set up Illinois' three-run frame in the second. Again with two outs in the frame, Camden Janik made it 4-0 with an two-run double and then scored on Westcott's RBI-double to make it a 5-0 game.
The Hawkeyes scored twice in the top of the third, but the Illini got all those runs back and more in the home half of the inning. Harding and Quagliano launched back-to-back home runs and Janik tallied his second RBI-double of game and his third two-out RBI.
Iowa pushed two runs across in the fourth to make it 8-4, but again Illinois was able to answer, with Harding picking up his second RBI on a groundout.
The Hawkeyes scored again in the fifth to make it 9-5, but Westcott crushed an opposite-field solo dinger to left-center in the sixth to push the Illini lead back to five.
Plumley struck out the side in the seventh, Rons faced the minimum in the eighth and Bunselmeyer's scoreless ninth gave Illinois the 10-5 series opening win.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini will be back in action tomorrow for the second game of this weekend series vs. Iowa. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CT. Tomorrow's Senior Day festivities will begin at 2:15 p.m. CT.
GAME NOTES
» Drake Westcott went 2-for-4 with two runs, a double, home run, two RBI and a walk.
    » Was his 14th home run of the season...ranks tied-for-second in the Big Ten.
    » Has 40 walks on the season...third-most in the Big Ten.
» Camden Janik went 2-for-4 with a run, two doubles, three RBI and a walk.
    » Extended his hitting streak to 12 games...has gone 22-for-48 (.458) during that span with four doubles, a home run and 15 RBI.
» Brody Harding went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a home run, two RBI and a walk.
    » Has hit safely in 13 of his last 15...has nine multi-hit games during that span.
        » Has multi-hit games in four-straight games, including three-hit games in two of his last three.
        » Has raised his season average from .261 to .311 during that span.
» Cal Hejza has reached base safely in 30-straight games.
» Connor Milton has reached base safely in 11-straight games.
    » Has four multi-hit games in his last seven.
» The Illini have now hit 91 home runs this season, matching the single-season program record set in 1998.
    » Most home runs in the Big Ten...only team with more than 70.
» Illinois improved to 19-2 at Illinois Field this season.
    » Most wins at this facility in a single season since 2015.
» Four Fighting Illini had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Hawkeyes at a 12-8 clip.
» Illinois pitchers limited Iowa to just 2-for-10 (.200) with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois pitchers faced 40 Iowa hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out nine.
» The Fighting Illini drew six walks from Iowa pitching.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
