BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Cody Sedlock threw more than 9.0 innings Friday for the second time this season and Michael Hurwitz hit a RBI single in the 11th inning to give the Illinois baseball team a 2-1 win at Indiana. Sedlock broke Illinois' single-season strikeout record by punching out 12 Hoosiers in 9.1 innings.
Sedlock and Indiana's Kyle Hart, the Big Ten leader in wins, dueled in a 1-1 game to extras. Both team's scored fourth-inning runs, Illinois' on Pat McInerney's fifth homer of the year, before each pitcher settled in.
Hart went 8.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits, while Sedlock allowed one run on seven hits. Hart fanned a career-best nine and Sedlock finished strong with six strikeouts in his last eight batters faced. Sedlock has yet to allow a run in the seventh inning and later this season, firing 16.2 innings of shutout work while striking out 21.
The 11th inning started with what head coach Dan Hartleb called the, "at-bat of the game." Trent Hammond fought off pitch after pitch to battle to a 3-2 count and draw a walk off Indiana closer Thomas Belcher (4-3). After Jack Yalowitz laid down a sac bunt, Hurwitz slapped a single down the left field line to drive home Hammond.
Indiana (29-18, 13-6 Big Ten) loaded the bases in the bottom of the 11th before Nick Blackburn closed his 11th save of the year. Brian Wilhite flied out to Doran Turchin in center field to end the game with the Hoosiers' winning run on second base. J.D. Nielsen (4-1) earned the win by getting two outs in the 10th.
Illinois (26-20, 10-9 Big Ten) had just five hits in the victory, including two from McInerney. Indiana had nine hits, but went 3 for 15 with runners on and 2 for 13 with two outs. The Illini were 1 for 2 with runners in scoring position.
The second game of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 1:05 p.m. CT. Doug Hayes is scheduled to get the start on the mound for Illinois.
