Illinois baseball (1-1) opened up its season with a doubleheader split vs. Akron (1-1) on Friday at David F. Couch Ballpark. The Illini captured a 3-1 victory in the opener before being walked off, 5-4 in 11 innings, in the finale.
GAME 1 | Illinois 3, Akron 1
The Fighting Illini began the 2024 campaign with a 3-1 victory over the Zips, backed by dominant pitching.
Jack Crowder earned his first win and quality start of the season by tossing 6.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out a career-high nine batters.
Cameron Chee-Aloy went 1-for-3 in contest, with his two-out, two-run home run in the seventh breaking a 1-1 deadlock that would give Illinois the lead for good.
GAME 2 | Akron 5, Illinois 4 (11 inn.)
The Fighting Illini were walked off in 11 innings by Zips in the finale of the twinbill, falling by a score of 5-4.
Chee-Aloy went 1-for-3 for the second-straight game, slugging his second home run of season and collecting three RBI.
Cooper Omans made his first-career start at Illinois, allowing two runs on three hits over 4.0 innings of work, picking up a pair of strikeouts.
The Fighting Illini will be back in action tomorrow, where they will face No. 1 Wake Forest at David F. Couch Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT
