Chambana Sun

Illinois baseball suffered a 14-4 loss to Michigan State in the series finale at McLane Stadium. Although they dropped the game in eight innings, the Illini claimed their first Big Ten series win of the season by taking two of the three games over the weekend.

Despite the defeat, several Illini players made notable contributions. Jack Zebig and Coltin Quagliano each achieved two-hit games. Additionally, Cameron Chee-Aloy drove in two runs, while Nick Groves walked three times. From the bullpen, Reed Gannon pitched a flawless seventh inning, retiring all three batters he faced.

Discussing the match's developments, the Spartans gained an early 3-0 advantage in the first inning, marking the second time in the series they scored first. Illinois responded by narrowing the gap in the third with RBI singles from Grant Ross and Zebig. The Illini briefly took the lead in the fourth, thanks to a two-run single by Chee-Aloy.

However, Michigan State took control again in the fifth inning by scoring four runs, extending to a 7-4 lead. They continued to widen the score, ultimately delivering the Orange and Blue a 14-4 defeat via the run rule.

The Illini are scheduled to face Illinois State at Illinois Field on Tuesday, with the first pitch set for 6 p.m. CT.

Game notes included Zebig's performance, where he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, marking his 12th multi-hit game of the season. Quagliano contributed by going 2-for-3 with a run and a double, extending his season-long hitting streak to nine games, with a batting average of .400 over that period. The Illini successfully batted 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position, facing 40 hitters throughout the game, resulting in 10 ground balls, nine fly balls, and two strikeouts.

This report was generated using Data Skrive's content automation technology.