Recap: Illinois Baseball rolls past Ohio 10-3

Illinois took care of business in their opening matchup against the Ohio Bobcats on Friday night. Kevin Duchene starred--throwing a complete game allowing while just 7 hits and striking out one. It was a nice bounce back effort for the Illini after the recent loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. They finished the game with just one error, and all but three players in the starting lineup recorded a hit.

Dan Harleb's squad responded quickly after the Bobcats took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Ohio managed to add another run in the top of the second, but the Illini cracked things open with five runs in the bottom half of the inning and knocked Ohio's starting pitcher, Jake Miller, out of the game. Illinois tacked on a few more runs and won by a final score of 10-3.

3 Stars

1. Kevin Duchene

The Illini's ace gave a great effort on Friday night. He gave up seven hits--including one homer--but went the distance on 114 pitches while walking just three batters.

2. Reid Roper

Illinois' second baseman was the best offensive player tonight. He finished 2-3 with a home run, a stolen base, and 2 walks. He logged one error on the night, but his stellar night at the plate made up for it.

3. David Kerian

The Big Ten player of the year was effective yet again. He went 1-2 with a home run, 3 RBIs, and a walk. He continues to rake at the plate as his average is above the .350 mark.

Next up the Illini face off against the No. 2 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame will be the home team, and the first pitch will be at 7:00pm CT. Drasen Johnson (9-3, 2.17 ERA) will make the start for the Illini tomorrow.