|
Illinois Wins First NCAA Regional Title over Wright State, 8-4
Illinois'
record-setting season added another highlight on Monday, winning the
program's first NCAA Regional title with an 8-4 victory over Wright
State at Illinois Field. The Fighting Illini reached 50 wins for the
first time in school history when closer Tyler Jay shut the door with
four scoreless frames, sealing a pair of school records and sending
Illinois to its first Super Regional.
Jay broke the tie with
Jeff Richards and became the school's all-time leader for single-season
saves (14) and career saves (24). The Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and
first-team All-American was lights out, surrendering only two base
runners while recording the final 12 outs, including five strikeouts.
Jay
took over with a 5-4 lead and one on in the sixth. He retired the first
seven batters he faced before giving up a walk in the eighth. He sat
down the next four Raiders and allowed a two-out single in the ninth
followed by a game-ending groundout to third base.
Senior Will
Krug went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two stolen bases, two runs and two
RBI to pace the Illini offense, including the go-ahead RBI. Senior
David Kerian finished 2-for-3 with a two-run homer as part of three
insurance runs tacked on in the ninth. Sophomore Ryne Roper was 1-for-4
with two RBI, meaning the 7-8-9 spots in Illinois' lineup combined for
six hits, six RBI and four runs.
Wright State capitalized on a
two-out error in the third, pushing across two unearned runs for an
early 2-0 lead. An RBI double and RBI single followed the error to do
the damage.
Illinois grabbed a 4-2 advantage with a four-run
fifth inning. With two on and one out, Krug kicked off the rally with
an RBI double down the left field line, scoring senior Casey Fletcher.
Ryne Roper followed with a two-run single on a hard hit ball off the
third baseman's glove, plating sophomore Pat McInerney and Krug.
Following
a walk and WSU pitching change, junior Ryan Nagle drilled a liner up
the middle that brought home Ryne Roper. The Orange and Blue tallied
seven runs in the fifth inning over the final two games of the
Champaign Regional.
The Raiders evened up the contest 4-4 with
two runs in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double and two-out RBI
single. Junior J.D. Nielsen replaced Kravetz with two on and walked the
bases loaded but ended the frame unscathed.
In the top of the
sixth, Krug came through in the clutch with a two-out, go-ahead RBI
double that scored junior Jason Goldstein for a 5-4 edge. Kerian was
thrown out at home on the same play trying to score from first.
Jay
dominated the next four innings and the offense added three runs in the
ninth. Kerian blasted his 16th home run and Adam Walton knocked in
Krug, who stole second and third in the stanza.
Up Next:
Illinois will host Vanderbilt in the Super Regional at Illinois Field
next weekend. Dates and times will be announced by the NCAA following
the completion of all NCAA Regional games.
Illinois NCAA Tournament Game Notes
•
Illinois won its first-ever NCAA Regional, going 3-0 while hosting the
first NCAA Champaign Regional at Illinois Field. The Illini advanced to
the Super Regional for the first time in school history.
• Illinois (50-8-1) set the school record with 50 victories, breaking the school record of 49 wins from 1982.
•
UI boasts the No. 1 winning percentage (0.856) in NCAA Division I
Baseball and has the fewest losses (8), marking the only team in single
digits.
• Illinois is 25-2 at home in 2015, and its current 19-game home winning streak is the longest active home streak in the nation.
• UI is 5-0 when playing as the visiting team at Illinois Field in 2015 (3-0 vs. Northwestern, 2-0 in NCAA Champaign Regional).
• The Illini earned their 25th comeback win of the season, coming from behind in half their victories this year.
•
Senior David Kerian was named Most Outstanding Player of the Champaign
Regional, hitting .625 with two home runs, two doubles and five RBI to
go along with four walks. He posted a 1.625 slugging percentage and
.750 on-base percentage.
• Seniors Will Krug (.600, 5 R, 2 RBI)
and Drasen Johnson (CG, 0 R, 6 K) also were named to the All-Tournament
Team at the NCAA Champaign Regional.
|
Contact us