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CHAMPAIGN – It would have taken a series sweep for the Illinois baseball team to reach the halfway point of the Big Ten race with a share of first place.

Against No. 23 Minnesota and its unrelenting attack, that was a tall task this weekend at Illinois Field.

Still, the Illini didn't miss by much. A doubleheader split with the Gophers on Saturday gave Illinois a 2-1 edge in the three-game series and kept Dan Hartleb's team among the top three in the Big Ten standings at 8-4.

"I'll sure take our position over a lot of people in the conference," the Illini coach said.

That position is one game behind Ohio State (9-3) and a half-game behind runner-up Indiana (8-3) in a crowded race for the Big Ten title. Add in Minnesota (7-4) and 1 1/2 games separate the top four teams with four weekends left in the league race.

"We're feeling good," left fielder Casey McMurray said following a 10-7 UI victory in the opener and a 12-8 loss in the finale. "They were in first place coming in (to the series) and taking two out of three was big."

Illinois (23-11) was forced to rally from early deficits in each contest and twice pulled out wins. The second came in Saturday's opener, when Minnesota (23-12) held a 4-0 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning behind the dominant pitching of Tom Buske. At that point, the senior right-hander was throwing a no-hitter and had faced the minimum number of batters.

"Like anything with a good pitcher, sometimes when the lineup gets to see the guy one time around, then you kind of know your approach and you know what he has," Illini third baseman Dominic Altobelli said.

That growing familiarity finally got Illinois' bats going. Over the next two-plus innings, Buske (5-3) was battered for six hits and six runs while contributing to his own downfall with three walks in that span.

The Illini also roughed up reliever Cullen Sexton for five hits and four runs in one inning as its run total reached double figures for the fourth consecutive Big Ten game.

Meanwhile, freshman right-hander Will Strack was limiting the damage by a potent Minnesota attack. Subbing for scheduled starter Ben Reeser, who continues to have back problems, Strack gave up 12 hits but limited the Gophers to five runs in six innings.

"Outstanding," said Hartleb, who started two true freshman pitchers in the series and used another for two innings of relief. "(Strack) had some rough innings early, but the thing I've said about those freshman guys – they may struggle a little bit, but they don't give up the house. They'll keep competing ... and with our offense we have a chance to get back in the game."

The teams combined for 62 runs and 88 hits in the series.

"I don't know if the warm weather kind of warmed our bats up a little bit," said Altobelli, who was among the hottest batters with six hits in 12 at-bats and seven RBI.

"I guess our offense is just  that good," said McMurray (7 of 15). "They've got guys one through nine (in the lineup) that can hit the ball and we've got guys one through nine that can hit the ball.

"And the game's never over. Just keep playing all nine innings and anything can happen."

As Minnesota proved in the nightcap, scoring eight runs in the final three innings to erase a 5-4 Illini lead.

"We pitched well up until the last three innings, and that cost us the ballgame," Hartleb said.

Typically, Minnesota hurt Illinois with the long ball, belting four homers in the finale. For the series, the Gophers had eight home runs, including three by second baseman Derek McCallum.

"We wanted a sweep after we got those first two games, so it's a little disappointing," Altobelli said. "But I think there's some good things to take out of it. We're still in a very good situation for the Big Ten."

At the plate

Illini leadoff batter Joe Bonadonna raised his batting average 32 points in the three-game series. The senior center fielder, who entered the weekend hitting .232, went 7 for 13 and scored six runs. He's now up to .264.

On the mound

Reliever Aaron Martin recorded his team-high third save in the opener with an inning of scoreless relief in the ninth. In 10 relief appearances, the senior from Georgetown-Ridge Farm has a 0.73 ERA, with 20 strikeouts in 242/3 innings.

On the bases

Eric Decker, a two-sport standout for Minnesota, exhibited football-like aggressiveness in Saturday's nightcap that cost the Gophers two outs. The center fielder/receiver upended Illini shortstop Brandon Wikoff with a hard slide that was wide of the second base bag. Decker was forced out on a grounder, but umpire David Riley also called batter Justin Gominsky out due to Decker's interference on a potential double play.

In the stands

Saturday's doubleheader, played in temperatures in the 70s, drew a season-high 1,501 fans to Illinois Field. That eclipsed the previous high of 1,105 on April 4 for a home doubleheader against Indiana.

Up next

The Illini visit St. Louis on Wednesday. Then it's on to Penn State for a three-game series starting Friday. The time of the finale has been moved to 10:05 a.m. CDT to accommodate travel needs.