CHAMPAIGN — Illinois closer Joey Gerber brought normalcy to an otherwise wild Big Ten game.
Gerber struck out two of the final three batters, and the Illinois baseball team held on for a 13-12 win over Rutgers on Friday at Illinois Field
The Illini (21-8, 7-3 Big Ten) jolted out to a substantial lead after hammering in nine runs during the first inning — their highest-scoring inning of the season.
The Scarlet Knights (18-12, 4-3), however, sprung back to life with a 10-run fourth inning. With the game tied at 12 in the eighth inning, Jeff Korte slashed the go-ahead RBI single into right field.