Courtesy of the Big Ten Conference
ILLINOIS def. IOWA, 9-8
Recap and Box Score
A three-run eighth capped an Illinois comeback on Friday night as the Fighting Illini took Game 1 of the series, 9-8, retaining a share of first place in the Big Ten. Casey McMurray led the Illinois offense, going 4-for-6 with three RBI and a run scored. Brian de la Torriente picked up the win in relief, while Bryan Roberts converted on his fourth consecutive save opportunity with two shutout innings. Michael Jacobs was tagged with the loss in relief, coming on for Jarred Hippen, who scattered five earned runs on 10 hits in six innings with seven strikeouts. Ryan Durant led the Hawkeyes at the plate, going 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run.
OHIO STATE def. INDIANA, 7-1
Recap and Box Score
Led by All-American pitcher Alex Wimmers, Ohio State maintained a share of first place in the conference standings with a 7-1 win over Indiana on Friday. The Buckeye right-hander pitched a complete game, allowing just one run on six hits with 14 strikeouts and no walks, improving his season record to 7-0. Zach Hurley led Ohio State on offense with three hits, an RBI and a run, while Michael Stephens blasted his seventh homer of the year. Micah Johnson went 2-for-4, driving in the Hoosiers’ only run. Matt Igel was tagged with the loss.
PURDUE def. MICHIGAN, 8-5
Recap and Box Score
Purdue struck early with four runs in the first two innings and never looked back, grabbing an 8-5 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday. Tyler Spillner had three hits, while Drew Madia and Barret Arthur each homered to lead the Boilermakers. Matt Bischoff picked up the win, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out nine over eight innings. Alan Oaks was tagged with the loss. Patrick Biondi and Ryan LaMarre had three hits each for the Wolverines, while Biondi also scored three runs and drove in two.
MICHIGAN STATE def. MINNESOTA, 5-3
Recap and Box Score
Michigan State maintained its share of first place in the Big Ten standings with a 5-3 win at Minnesota on Friday. Eli Boike, Brandon Eckerle and Torsten Boss had two hits each for the Spartans, while Boike and Boss also drove in two runs. A.J. Achter picked up his fourth win of the year, allowing three runs on 11 hits and a walk, striking out five in six innings. Kurtis Frymier picked up his fifth save, tossing 1.1 shutout innings. Seth Rosin was tagged with the loss for Minnesota. The Gophers were led at the plate by AJ Pettersen and Michael Kvasnicka, who had two hits each.
NORTHWESTERN def. PENN STATE, 11-5
Recap and Box Score
Northwestern scored two runs in the seventh and six in the eighth to down Penn State in the series-opener on Friday in University Park. Chris Lashmet led the Wildcats, going 4-for-5 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored. Paul Sneider drove in three runs on three hits, while Chad Noble touched home three times in the game. David Jensen earned the win in relief, tossing three scoreless frames. Steven Hill took the loss for Penn State. Ben Heath went 3-for-4 for the Nittany Lions, while Jordan Steranka had three RBI on his sixth homer of the year.
