Chambana Sun

Illinois baseball secured a narrow 5-4 victory against Purdue in the opening game of their final regular-season series. The match took place on Thursday night at Alexander Field, marking a significant win for Illinois.

Ryan Moerman was instrumental in the Illini's success, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Camden Janik also contributed significantly with a 3-for-4 performance, including a double and two RBIs.

Jack Crowder started on the mound for Illinois, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing four runs, three of which were earned. He gave up five hits, walked two batters, and struck out seven. Ben Plumley followed with an impressive relief appearance, delivering 2.1 shutout innings while conceding just one hit and striking out three. Joe Glassey closed the game with a perfect ninth inning to earn his seventh save of the season.

The game began with Illinois taking an early lead thanks to Moerman's three-run homer in the first inning. Janik extended the lead to 5-0 in the second inning with a two-run double. Purdue responded by scoring one run in the second inning and two more in the fourth, narrowing the gap to 5-3.

Crowder managed to keep Purdue scoreless in the fifth inning before handing over to Plumley during the sixth inning when runners were on base. Although Purdue added another run, Plumley contained further damage with a strikeout to end that inning.

Plumley continued his strong performance through the seventh and eighth innings, culminating in back-to-back strikeouts to conclude his outing. Glassey then secured Illinois' victory by retiring all batters he faced in order during the ninth inning.

Illinois will return for game two of this series at Alexander Field, scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT start.

The Fighting Illini are positioned to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title with either another win or if Nebraska loses tomorrow.