SAN MARCOS, Texas --Â Illinois baseball (4-2) earned its second series win of the season by splitting a doubleheader today at Texas State (5-2).
The Illini dropped the opener 5-2 before bouncing back with a 7-4 victory in the "nightcap".
GAME 1 | Texas State 5, Illinois 2
The Orange and Blue had their three-game winning streak snapped by falling in game 1 of the doubleheader 5-2.
Vytas Valincius crushed a two-run homer in the third but that was all the offense Illinois could muster in the contest, as they only recorded three hits while stranding six baserunners.
Ben Plumley got the ball in the start, allowing three runs over 5.2 innings, picking up one strikeout.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead after two but Valincius' two-run blast in the third gave the Illini the lead.
Texas State tied the ballgame with a run in the fourth and would go on to score another run in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead.Â
Illinois got leadoff runners on base in the sixth, seventh and eighth inning but could not come up with a decisive hit.
The hosts would tack on a run in both the seventh and eighth and eventually hand the Illini the 5-2 defeat.
GAME NOTES
» Vytas Valincius went 1-for-3 with a run, home run, two RBI and a walk.
    » Has recorded a hit and an RBI in all five games this season.
» Nick Groves went 1-for-3 with a walk.
    » Has reached base safely at least twice in all five games this season.
» Grant Ross went 1-for-1 with a run and a pair of walks.
    » Has recorded a hit and drawn two walks in each of his first-two games in the starting lineup.
» Cameron Chee-Aloy had his 19-game hitting streak and 23-game on-base streak snapped.
» Illinois pitchers limited Texas State to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois pitchers faced 37 Texas State hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and 15 fly balls while striking out two.
» The Fighting Illini drew seven walks from Texas State pitching.
GAME 2 | Illinois 7, Texas State 4
Illinois claimed a series victory at Bobcat Ballpark by winning the second game of the doubleheader 7-4.
Jack Zebig went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI while Jacob Schroeder went 1-for-1 with a run, home run and two RBI. Greg LaChance also had a solid day at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs and three walks.
Julius Sanchez earned his first win of the season by allowing just two runs over 5.0 innings, firing three strikeouts. Ryan Daly picked up the save, working 2.1 scoreless frames to end the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Fighting Illini jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to some two-out RBI from Vytas Valincius and Zebig.
Sanchez began his start by retiring the first six batters that he faced before the Bobcats tied the game up with two runs in the third.
Illinois grabbed that run right back in the fourth when Zebig doubled home LaChance on a perfectly executed hit-and-run to make it 3-2.
The Illini pushed their lead to three by scoring twice more in the sixth. Grant Ross and Cameron Chee-Aloy both came up with a RBI-single in the frame, the latter's coming with two outs.
Texas State made it a one-run game by pushing two runs across in the seventh, making it 5-4.
In the eighth, Drake Westcott doubled after an 11-pitch at-bat and Jacob Schroeder followed by clobbering the first pitch he saw over the wall in left center for a two-run home run, giving Illinois some much-needed insurance runs.
Daly kept the Bobcats off the board over the final two innings of the ballgame, giving Illinois the 7-4 win and the series victory.
GAME NOTES
» Greg LaChance went 1-for-2 with two runs and three walks.
    » Has drawn five walks in his last three games.
» Jack Zebig went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.
    » Has three two-hit games this season.
» Vytas Valincius went 1-for-4 with a run, double, RBI and a walk.
    » Leads the team with 10 RBI this season.
        » Has recorded at least one RBI in all six games this season.
        » Eight of his 10 RBI have come with two outs.
    » Has hit safely in all six games this season.
» Nick Groves went 1-for-4 and was hit by a pitch.
    » Has reached base safely at least twice in all six games this season.
» Julius Sanchez picked up his first win of the season.
    » 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
» Ryan Daly earned his first save of the season.
    » 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
» Illinois pitchers faced 39 Texas State hitters in the game, allowing 14 ground balls and five fly balls while striking out eight.
» The Fighting Illini drew six walks from Texas State pitching.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
