Illini come up short vs top-seeded Buckeyes
The Illini started well enough...but they ran out of gas at the end.
That sums up the second day of the Big Ten Tourney where the Illini jumped out to a 4-1 lead on top-seeded Ohio State and had knocked the Buckeye ace Alex Wimmers out of the game.
But the Illini missed their opportunities to extend the lead in the mid-to-late innnings...left too many runners on base in those innings... and Ohio State's powerful offense finally caught up to Illini right-hander Will Strack for a 7-4 win.
When Ohio State 6'6" closer Jake Hale came in to the game...he had to battle Brandon Wikoff at the finish... but finally caught a called third strike on the Illini shortstop to end the game and send the mostly Buckeye crowd home happy from Huntington Park.
A long day of broadcasting on the Big Ten Network for yours truly. Three games in one day is a lot...but it was a lot of fun to be there. I look forward to doing it again in the future.
Make sure to catch all the Illini baseball action in the tourney on the radio with Dave Loane on Newstalk 1400 WDWS this weekend.
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