No. 12 Illinois (25-6-1) notched its best record after 32 games in school history after winning 14-10 at Eastern Illinois (1-24) on Tuesday. Big Ten Player of the Week Jason Goldstein picked up where he left off, going 3-for-5 with his first grand slam and a career-high six RBI. Senior David Kerian homered for an 18-game hitting streak, while sophomore Ryne Roper added his first bomb of the season.
Following an 11-pitch battle at the plate, Goldstein launched a line drive over the wall in left for a 4-0 lead four batters into the game. An out later, Kerian connected on his Big Ten-leading eighth bomb to center for five runs in the first.
EIU took a 6-5 lead with two runs in the second and four in the third off starter Cody Sedlock before reliever J.D. Nielsen stopped the bleeding.
Illinois jumped back in front 10-6 with another five-run inning in the fourth and the Illini tacked on two more tallies in the sixth.
Kerian and Reid Roper each touched home three times, while Goldstein and Ryan Nagle, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games, each had two runs.
The Orange and Blue equaled their season-long winning streak at six games and improved to 5-0 in midweek contests this year. Illinois' previous best record through 32 games was a 25-7 mark in 1989.
No. 12 Illinois will welcome Saint Louis to Champaign on Wednesday at 6 p.m. before hosting a Saturday-Sunday-Monday series against Purdue this weekend.
