No. 3 Illinois overcame their largest deficit during the streak and captured their 24th consecutive victory in a 28-13 slugfest. Illinois equaled Texas A&M for the longest winning streak in the nation this season and earned its school-record sixth straight Big Ten sweep.
Redshirt-senior Reid Roper set a school record with six runs as part of a monster day in which he went 3-for-4 with three walks, a career-high six RBI and two home runs, including his first career grand slam that capped off an 11-run eighth inning.
Junior Jason Goldstein went 5-for-5 with three runs and four RBI thanks to a no-doubter grand slam that tied the game at 9-9, helping Illinois overcome a four-run hole. Fellow junior Ryan Nagle had a career-high four runs and homered during a 4-for-6 day with three RBI.
Sophomore Pat McInerney collected a career-best four RBI, while senior David Kerian hit his Big Ten-leading 12th home run while going 3-for-6 with three runs and three RBI. Every Illini starter had a base knock for a season-high 26 hits.
The Illini scored in every inning except the third and pushed across multiple runs in six stanzas.
No. 3 Illinois will close the regular season with a three-game series against Nebraska at Illinois Field from May 14-16. The Thursday and Friday games will begin at 6 p.m., while the Saturday game will start at 2 p.m. for a Big Ten Network broadcast.
