Illinois lost its Big Ten baseball series opener against No. 20 USC, falling 4-0 at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles on Friday night. The Illini allowed three runs in the first inning, which proved decisive as their five-game winning streak ended.
After the opening frame, Illinois pitchers limited USC to just one run over the next eight innings. Ben Plumley pitched five innings, conceding three earned runs and recording a strikeout. He did not allow any runs during his last four innings and has now thrown at least five innings in each of his last three appearances. Sam Reed came in as a reliever, pitching three innings with a season-high three strikeouts.
Illinois managed two hits during the game, both coming in the fourth inning from Michael Farina and Daniel Contreras. Farina finished 1-for-3 and has reached base in all twelve games he has played for Illinois so far, with hits in six consecutive games. Contreras went 1-for-4 and has recorded hits in ten of his last eleven games.
Nick Groves extended his on-base streak to 24 games despite going 0-for-2; he reached base twice through a walk and being hit by a pitch. Collin Jennings was also hit by a pitch and has now safely reached base in ten straight games.
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini baseball program is part of NCAA Division I and competes under Big Ten Conference rules according to its official website. The program participates in both conference and non-conference matchups to provide athletes opportunities for competition and development, while operating within the university’s athletics structure.
The Illini will continue their three-game series at USC with Game 2 scheduled for Saturday at 3:05 p.m. CT. The matchup will be streamed live on B1G+ from Dedeaux Field.
