Illinois baseball (7-6) fell in their home opener in extra innings, 7-3, to Indiana State (8-8) at Illinois Field.
The ballgame was sent to extras when Illinois scored three times in the bottom of the seventh. Brody Harding and Danny Doligale set the table with walks, with Harding scoring on a double from Branden Comia. Cam McDonald followed with a two-run single to tie the game. Drake Westcott followed with a single of his own, but Indiana State was able to retire the next three batters to get out of the inning.
The visitors had led since the fourth inning, scoring three times in the frame to take the 3-0 lead. After an RBI-groundout by the Sycamores opened the scoring, the inning was extended on an error, leading to two unearned runs.
Jake Swartz took the mound to start the game for the Illini, and the freshman allowed just two runs, one earned, in 3.1 innings of work, scattering five hits and striking out four.
After the three-run fourth, Logan Tabeling, John Lundgren, TJ Constertina and Jack Wenninger combined to toss five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and whiffing three.
