CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois opened its weekend series against No. 20 Nebraska with a 10-5 win over the ranked Cornhuskers on Friday night.
A three-hit day from Jack Zebig and a grand slam from Will Johannes fueled the Fighting Illini offense, while Regan Hall got the start and tossed seven innings en route to his sixth victory of the season.
Jack Zebig went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI, while Michael Farina and Nick Groves both tallied two hits with two runs scored. AJ Putty accounted for two RBI of his own.
On the mound, Hall went seven innings with six strikeouts, while Sam Mommer threw two scoreless frames in relief.
Zebig's two-out home run in the first opened the scoring before the hosts plated six in the bottom of the third. Johannes' grand slam highlighted the high-scoring inning as the Illini batted around and took a 7-0 advantage.
After the Huskers got on the board with the game's next four runs, the Orange and Blue answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Groves, Zebig, and Putty all drove in a run in the frame as the home side extended their lead to 10-4 through six.
Nebraska cut into its deficit with a run in the top of the seventh, but Mommer efficiently ended the game with back-to-back zeros in the eighth and ninth to seal the Illini win.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Nick Groves went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
- Notched his 14th multi-hit game of the season.
- Scored multiple runs for the ninth time.
- Michael Farina went 2-for-4 and scored twice.
- Has multiple hits in 16 outings.
- Has 2+ hits in four consecutive games.
- Has scored multiple times in 12 games.
- Now has a five-game hitting streak.
- Jack Zebig went 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI.
- Hit his sixth home run of the season.
- Tied his career-high with three hits.
- Marked his fourth multi-hit game of the season.
- Has three hits in two games this season.
- Posted multiple RBI for the seventh time.
- AJ Putty posted a 1-for-5 day with two RBI.
- Has multiple RBI in a team-high 12 games.
- Kyle Schupmann went 1-for-2 with two walks.
- Has reached base safely in 14 straight games.
- Drew multiple walks for the fifth time.
- Has a walk in four straight games and in six of the last seven.
- Will Johannes went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and two runs scored.
- Hit his seventh home run of the season.
- Scored multiple runs for the fifth time.
- Regan Hall tossed seven innings and tallied six strikeouts.
- Was his longest outing of the season.
- Had at least six strikeouts for the sixth time this year.
- Picked up his team-leading sixth victory on the mound.
- Sam Mommer threw two scoreless innings in relief.
- Went at least two innings for the eighth time this season.
- Was his ninth scoreless appearance.Â
- Illinois earned its third ranked victory of the season.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini (21-19, 9-10 B1G) continue their series with the Cornhuskers with Game 2 on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. Admission is free, while the action from Illinois Field will stream on B1G+.
