Illinois Baseball: Illini finish strong in weekend series with Ohio State

It was a rough start for the Illinois baseball team, as Ohio State took three of the four games in the season-opening series.

While Illinois only took one of the four games in the series, it is not like the Illini were manhandled. There was only one game that got out of hand for Illinois, and that was the third game where they lost 12-6 in seven innings.

Game 1

Game one of the series went into extra innings. Ohio State would eventually emerge victorious by a score of 6-3 after a three-run 13th inning.

Transfer Andrew Hoffmann got the start for the Illini. He is a newcomer to the program after transferring in from John A. Logan Community College. Hoffmann had a good first outing for the Illini, going six innings while only giving up 4 hits and 2 earned runs. He struck out eight batters in his six innings as well.

This type of performance doesn’t come as a surprise, though. Hoffmann was 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA at John A. Logan CC last season. So, he is picking up right where he left off. While the bullpen did give up three runs in extra innings, it was the hitting that let down the Illini in game one.

Illinois batters hit .205 with 12 strikeouts in the first game. They also left 13 runners on base, which is a massive missed opportunity to come away with a clutch win to start the season off right.

Game 2

In game two, the Illini would again fall to the Buckeyes, this time by a score of 6-5. Illinois threw out another pitcher to toe the rubber who had yet to throw a pitch for the program.

Riley Gowens missed last season due to injury and struggled his first game out this season. He threw 3.1 innings and gave up 6 hits and 3 earned runs while only striking out four batters.

The bullpen for the Illini actually pitched pretty well, though. They only gave up one earned run in 5.2 innings pitched. If they can get that out of the bullpen in every game, then Illinois should be okay this season.

Center fielder Taylor Jackson led the way for the Illini batters. A big returning piece for the Orange and Blue, Jackson led off and went 3-for-5 with a walk. He tried to get things going but could only manage to get across home plate one time in the game. Illinois’ two through four hitters need to take advantage of the leadoff man getting on base four times out of five trips to the plate. That didn’t happen, though.

Game 3

The hopes rose early in game three, as Illinois took a quick four-run lead in the bottom of the first inning. The top of the order for the Illini got hot. Kellen Sarver and Cam McDonald each drove in a run, while Jackson Raper tallied two earned runs for himself.

Good vibes ended quickly in the top of the second inning, though. Illinois’ starter, Ty Rybarczyk, struggled. He only made it through 1.2 innings before getting pulled. He gave up 9 hits, 8 earned runs and 2 walks. The bullpen didn’t have their best stuff either, as they gave up 6 hits and 4 earned runs in just 5.1 innings pitched.

Illinois’ bats couldn’t pull the team back into the game. This was just too big of a hill to climb. Ohio State would add four more runs in the sixth inning and would win the game 12-6.

Game 4

Illinois got back on track in game four. After dropping their first three games against Ohio State, the Illini came back strong and beat the Buckeyes 8-0 in the final game of the series.

Everything was clicking in this game, as Cole Kirschsieper went five innings of one-hit baseball. He did walk four batters, but he also struck out six Buckeyes. This was an impressive performance by someone who could end up being our ace by the season’s end.

Illinois’ hitting was on point as well. Seven different Illini batters had a hit and five hitters recorded an RBI in the game. This is the type of game Illinois always had in them. They are a better team than their 1-3 record shows right now. Once the pitching rotation gets settled, look for Illinois to really start turning this around and becoming one of the best teams in the Big Ten.