GREENVILLE, S.C. – Illinois closed the First Pitch Invitational with a 14-6 victory over UAlbany at Fluor Field on Sunday afternoon.
Now winners of five straight games, the Fighting Illini went a perfect 3-0 over the weekend while improving to 7-4 on the season.
Michael Farina and Kyle Schupmann both registered three hits, while Collin Jennings and AJ Putty posted three RBI apiece.
The Illini used nine pitchers during the contest, with Mitch Dye earning the victory behind his 2.2 shutout innings with two strikeouts. The Orange and Blue pitching staff logged 10 strikeouts, with three players tallying multiple Ks.
In the top half of the second, the Orange and Blue opened the scoring on Jennings' fourth home run of the season. Two innings later, the Illini added three more runs on Putty's two-run home run over the Green Monster in left before one more run crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
The Great Danes got on the board for the first time in the fourth before Jack Zebig drove in a run in the top of the sixth, giving Illinois a 6-2 advantage.
UAlbany evened the score in the home half of the frame, but the Illini answered right back with a three-run seventh, establishing a 9-6 edge behind a sac fly, an error, and an RBI single from Schupmann.
After Dye held the Great Danes scoreless in the seventh and eighth, the Illini added insurance in the ninth. A two-run triple from Jennings, followed by an error and two run-scoring wild pitches, gave the Orange and Blue a 14-6 edge heading into the home half of the ninth.
A 1-2-3 inning in the ninth rounded out the Illini's eight-run victory.
GAME NOTES
- Nick Groves went 0-for-4 but reached base on two walks and scored a run.
- Extended his on-base streak to 23 games.
- Has scored a run in five consecutive games.
- Has scored a run in nine of his 10 appearances this season.
- Drew multiple walks for the second time this season.
- Has a walk in seven of the last eight games.
- Michael Farina finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
- Has reached base in each of his first 11 games as an Illini.
- Set a new season-best mark with his three hits.
- Has a hit in five straight games.
- Has multiple hits in four of his last five outings and in six games overall.
- Has a double in four consecutive outings.
- Daniel Contreras went 1-for-4 and scored two runs.
- Has a hit in nine of the last 10 games.
- Has reached base successfully in 10 straight games.
- Scored multiple runs for the second time.
- Tallied his first stolen base of the season.
- Collin Jennings went 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, three RBI, and three runs.
- Recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the season.
- Has a hit in each of the last nine games.
- His three RBI marked a new season-high.
- Tallied multiple RBI for the third time this season.
- Hit his fourth home run of the season.
- Scored a season-high three runs.
- Scored multiple runs for the fourth time.
- Recorded the Illini's first triple of the season.
- AJ Putty went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
- Registered multiple RBI for the seventh time this season.
- Has multiple RBI in four of the last five games.
- Now has a team-high 22 RBI this season.
- Has a hit in five straight games.
- Has reached base safely in 10 consecutive games.
- Hit his fourth home run of the season.
- Kyle Schupmann went 3-for-4 with a double, four runs scored, and three stolen bases.
- Tied his career-high and set a new season-best with four runs scored.
- Scored multiple runs for the fifth time.
- Tallied a career-best three stolen bases.
- Equaled his season-high with three hits.
- Has at least three hits in three games this season.
- Has a double in four of his last five games.
- Posted his fourth RBI of the season.
- Mitch Dye secured the win, going 2.2 shutout innings and only one hit.
- Made his fourth appearance of the season.
- Logged the first win of his Illini career.
- His 2.2 innings marked a new Illini career-high.
- Has now thrown five consecutive shutout innings.
- The Illini extended their season-long winning streak to five games.
- Marks the team's longest winning streak since April 9-26, 2024, when the Illini won nine straight games.
- Illinois tied its season-high with 14 runs.
- The Illini have scored 10+ runs in four games this season.
- The Illini posted 11 hits, their eighth game this season with double-digit hits.
- Illinois has 10+ hits in four of its five contests during its five-game winning streak.
- Illinois recorded a season-high six stolen bases.
- Marks the most stolen bases since April 6, 2025, when the Illini also swiped six stolen bases.
UP NEXT
Illinois returns home to host Eastern Illinois on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. CT before beginning Big Ten play next weekend in Los Angeles at USC.
