Illinois has made quite the comeback during its home stand.
After three straight wins, the Fighting Illini snapped their streak in a 8-7 loss to New Orleans on Sunday. Bouncing back from their loss, the Illini dominated 16-4 against the SIUE Cougars Tuesday night.
Illinois, now 19-16, started the game with a bang, plating 14 runs in the first two innings. On the mound, Sam Reed was able to keep SIUE to one run in those two frames, giving the Illini an early 14-1 lead.
The momentum slowed down for the
rest of the game, with Illinois going scoreless for third and fourth inning. The pitching staff once again allowed only one run from the Cougars until the top of the fifth. Two runs were let up, but those would be the last time SIUE would score.
At the bottom of the fifth, AJ Putty mashed his second home run of the night, becoming the first freshman since 2019 to have two homers in a single game. Illinois ended the night with one more run from Luke Landrus, while preventing the Cougars from scoring in the seventh (and final) inning.
The evening was cut short because of the large lead, resulting in a run-rule win. Playing at Illinois Field after a slew of away games seems to be the lucky ingredient in Illinois’ recipe to win with a 10-4 record at home.
If the Fighting Illini can continue with the energy they’ve had during the last few games and also bring that into the Big Ten Tournament in a month, they could have a decent shot in the NCAA Tournament. They still have some time before the season ends, but the Illini need to lock down some wins when they host No. 19 Oregon this weekend.
Stat stuffers
- Illinois marked its season-high with four home runs.
- Putty went 3-for-4 and recorded three RBI.
- Nick Groves hit two doubles in the first inning alone and scored two runs.
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Up next
Illinois is set to host No. 19 Oregon for a Big Ten series starting on Friday.
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