BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Jack Yalowitz and David Craan each hit two home runs Saturday as part of a six-homer day for the Illinois baseball team in a 14-4 win at Florida Atlantic. The Illini scored in six straight innings from the third through the eighth to pull away from the Owls and even the series 1-1.
Illinois (3-6) had 15 hits, including four from Yalowitz, and every Illini in the starting lineup had at least one hit. Doran Turchin and Bren Spillane also provided home runs, as the Illini hit 10 home runs in the first two games of the series, and Spillane, Pat McInerney and Casey Dodge had doubles.
"The bats stayed hot," said head coach Dan Hartleb. "Guys laid off the pitches in the dirt and had a lot of quality at bats. Obviously when you score that many runs you did some things well."
Ty Weber (1-0) gave Illinois its best outing on the mound this year by going six innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four. The freshman right-hander kept FAU scoreless until the sixth inning when David Miranda homered to right field.
"Ty Weber was outstanding," said Hartleb. "He gave us our first quality start and that's what we need."
Weber was followed by fellow freshman Ryan Schmitt, who worked a perfect 1-2-3 seventh including a strikeout in his collegiate debut. Jackson Douglas (2/3 IP, 3 R) and Cole Bellair (1 1/3 IP, 0 R) finished the game.
A key for the Illini was to keep the walk numbers down, something that has plagued the pitching staff through the early part of the season. Illinois issued just three free passes (Weber 2, Jackson 1) after averaging seven walks per game in the first eight games of the year.
Illinois and Florida Atlantic are set for a rubber match Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. Illini freshman Ryan Thompson is scheduled to make his first start.
