Illinois walks off against Penn State

FightingIllini.comCHAMPAIGN, lll. — Leadoff hitter Ben Troike is up next in a tie game in the bottom of the 10th inning against Penn State. Andrew Van Dyke and Jason Campbell at the corners with two outs on a chilly 40-degree night. Penn State shifts its defense towards the shortstop to cover Troike’s righty pull hitting.

“I saw that big hole on the right side,” Troike said. “I was just hoping to get a pitch over the middle of the plate and drive it that way.”

Troike singles into the gap, driving in Van Dyke for the winning run. He flipped his helmet in the air and ran to the mob of teammates celebrating the 2-1 win.

“He had a couple of other rough at-bats with runners in scoring position and…