CHAMPAIGN, Ill. --Â Illinois baseball (25-15, 12-8) claimed a series win with a 3-1 victory over Purdue (24-18, 6-14), today at Illinois Field.
Regan Hall picked up his fourth-straight win to improve to 6-2 on the season. The southpaw turned in another stellar outing, working a career-high 8.0 innings, allowing one run on six hits, striking out four without issuing a walk. Zach Bates was called upon to convert a save for the second-straight contest, where he worked a 1-2-3 ninth, picking up two punchouts to earn his sixth save of the campaign.
Cameron Chee-Aloy went 3-for-4 at the plate, picking up two RBI. Vytas Valincius also put together a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hall got the ballgame started by retiring the side on just six pitches and the Illini took the momentum to the plate, with Valincius driving home Nick Groves on a single to make it 1-0.
Hall continued to roll on the mound, working a quick 1-2-3 second and would retire the first eight batters he faced before allowing a two-out double in the third, but the sophomore worked around it to keep the Boilermakers off the board. The Albuquerque, N.M., native, faced the minimum in the fourth and the fifth, inducing double plays in each inning after the leadoff batter had reached safely.
The Orange and Blue doubled their advantage in the fifth when a hustling Chee-Aloy was able to beat out a throw for an RBI-infield single, making it 2-0.
The visitors would put runners on second and third with one out in the inning and push a run across successfully on a suicide squeeze but Drake Westcott was able to cut down the trailing runner at home to turn the double play and keep Illinois in front.
Chee-Aloy restored the Illini's two-run lead with a RBI-single in the seventh, scoring Coltin Quagliano, who started the inning with a double.
Hall worked around a two-out single in the seventh and finished his outing with a 1-2-3 eighth, picking up two strikeouts along the way.
Bates took the mound in the ninth and needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order, striking out the final two batters of the contest to give Illinois the 3-1 victory and the series win.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini go for the series sweep over Purdue tomorrow. First pitch from Illinois Field is set for 1 p.m. CT.
GAME NOTES
» Cameron Chee-Aloy went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
    » Second three-hit game of the season.
    » Extended his hitting streak to five games.
» Vytas Valincius went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
    » Leads the Illini with 50 RBI on the season.
    » Also leads the Illini with 16 multi-hit games.
» Jack Zebig extended his on-base streak to 35 games.
» Regan Hall improved to 6-2 on the season by tossing his fourth quality start of the campaign and his third such performance in his last four starts.
    » 8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
    » Career-high in innings pitched.
    » Has gone 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA (3 ER/26.2 IP) in his last four starts...has fired 15 strikeouts compared to just three walks during that span...has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of those starts.
» Zach Bates earned his sixth save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth.
    » 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
    » Has allowed just one earned run over his last 12.1 innings of work, spanning nine games...has 14 strikeouts compared to just 4 walks during this stretch.
    » Has fired 4.1-consecutive scoreless innings over last three outings.
» The Illini have now won 11-straight games over Purdue.
» Every Illinois starter reached base safely in the win.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Boilermakers at a 10-6 clip.
» Chee-Aloy stole two bases in Saturday's game.
» Illinois pitchers faced 30 Purdue hitters in the game, allowing 13 ground balls and five fly balls while striking out six.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
