CHAMPAIGN, Ill. --Â Illinois baseball (26-16, 11-5) fell in its series opener to Ohio State (23-20, 8-8), 7-5, tonight at Illinois Field.
Vytas Valincius went 2-for-3 with a run, triple, home run, RBI and walk. Brody Harding also had a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored, a double and a walk. Cal Hejza extended his on-base streak to 27 games by going 1-for-4 with a triple, RBI and a walk.
Jack Crowder got the start for the Illini and did not factor into the decision. The senior worked 6.0 innings and allowed five runs on five hits while tallying four strikeouts. Jake Rons worked a perfect eighth inning out of the bullpen.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Illinois got on the scoreboard first in the third inning when Hejza triple home Brody Harding with two outs in the frame.
The Buckeyes evened the score with a run in the fourth, but the Illini regained the lead when Valincius crushed an opposite-field solo home run to right center to make it 2-1.
Ohio State jumped back in front by scoring three times in the fifth, but Illinois responded with two runs in the bottom half of inning to again tie the contest. Camden Janik had an RBI-single and Drake Westcott brought home another run on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-4.
The two sides traded runs in the sixth, with the Illini scoring theirs on a two-out, RBI-single from Connor Milton.
The Buckeyes took the lead for good by pushing a run across in the seventh and added some insurance with another run in the eighth to make it 7-5. The visitors would not allow a run a baserunner the rest of the way as the Illini were handed the 7-5 defeat.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini will be back in action tomorrow for game two for this weekend series. First pitch from Illinois Field is set for 3 p.m. CT.
GAME NOTES
» Vytas Valincius went 2-for-3 with a run, triple, home run, RBI and a walk.
    » Has 16 RBI in his last six games...has driven in runs in four straight and in five of last six overall.
» Brody Harding went 2-for-3 with three runs, a double and a walk.
    » Has hit safely in 10 of his last 12...has six multi-hit games during that span.
» Cal Hejza went 1-for-4 with a triple, RBI and a walk.
    » Has reached base safely in 27-straight games.
» Connor Milton went 1-for-3 with a run, RBI and a walk.
    » Has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games...has reached base safely in eight straight.
» Camden Janik went 1-for-5 with an RBI.
    » Extended his hitting streak to nine games...has gone 17-for-36 (.472) during that span with two doubles, a home run and 12 RBI.
» Coltin Quagliano had his 20-game hitting streak snapped.
» Illinois went 2-for-6 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois pitchers faced 38 Ohio State hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out eight.
» The Fighting Illini drew four walks from Ohio State pitching.
» Illinois had its 13-game home winning streak snapped...was tied for the second-longest active streak in the country.
    » The Illini also had their 12-game Big Ten home winning streak snapped...first conference loss at Illinois Field since April 15, 2023.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
