Illinois takes two of three games from Rutgers - FPSHUB

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Fighting Illini made a brief comeback from their slump over the weekend.

Illinois hosted Rutgers for a three-game conference series, going 2-1 after falling in the series finale. Illinois now has a 12-10 record on the season.

Immediately coming into the first matchup, the Illini plated nine runs in the first inning. The Scarlet Knights would be unable to even pose a threat to their lead, officially securing a 13-7 victory for Illinois.

It was a lucrative day for AJ Putty, who’s been having a phenomenal season, as he amassed 16 putouts and five RBI. His single in the bottom of the first allowed Illinois to tie the game before dominating for the remainder of the night.

Moving onto the second game, it seemed like Illinois’ offense was going to have a slow day. Jack Zebig broke a scoreless tie with a grand slam in the third inning. The team continued to increase the lead as Rutgers failed to respond.

The faceoff ended with the Illini topping the Scarlet Knights 12-6. Zebig finished the evening going 3-for-5 and recording his second homer of the season. His play brought back the energy from the start of the series, restoring some of Illinois’ hope.

However, any momentum it had disappeared during the series finale. Similar to Saturday, the Fighting Illini scored the first runs of the game in the third inning, taking a 2-0 lead. Kyle Schupmann scored their final run in the bottom of the third, seemingly clinching the win against Rutgers as it was still scoreless.

At the top of the sixth, Illinois saw a one-run response from the Scarlet Knights. The Illini let their guard down and were hit even harder with five runs in the seventh inning en route to a 6-3 win.

Stat stuffers

Nick Groves’ tied with his season-high of three runs in the series opener.

Regan Hall pitched seven strikeouts, reaching the 100th strikeout of his career on Saturday.

Putty led the Illini with 15 putouts in the series finale.