Chambana Sun

Illinois baseball secured a 10-5 victory over Ohio State at Illinois Field, evening the series between the two teams. Jacob Schroeder and Connor Milton contributed significantly to the offense with home runs, while Brody Harding and Vytas Valincius also had multi-RBI performances. Each of the nine Illini starters reached base safely during the game.

Payton Hutchings earned the win for Illinois, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts. Cooper Omans started the game, delivering 4.1 innings with one run on two hits and six strikeouts.

The Illini took an early lead in their first inning when Vytas Valincius drove in Cal Hejza with an RBI groundout. The lead extended in the third inning, highlighted by Brody Harding's two-run single, making it 4-0. Illinois added another run in the fourth before Ohio State scored four runs across the fifth and sixth innings to narrow the gap to 5-4.

Connor Milton hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, but Ohio State responded with a run in the eighth. Jacob Schroeder then hit a three-run home run to secure Illinois' win at 10-5.

The Fighting Illini will face Ohio State again tomorrow for a rubber match at Illinois Field.

Key players included Brody Harding, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs; Camden Janik extended his hitting streak to ten games; Connor Milton went 2-for-4 with a home run; Cal Hejza continued his streak of reaching base safely for 28 consecutive games; Vytas Valincius extended his hitting streak to five games; Jacob Schroeder hit his 13th home run of the season.

Cooper Omans did not factor into the decision despite starting strong, while Joe Glassey closed out the game effectively by retiring all six batters he faced.

Illinois achieved their offensive success through strategic plays and solid pitching efforts against Ohio State's lineup. They will aim to continue this momentum into their next matchup.