Thomas Nelshoppen of Illinois Baseball ReportAfter a rainout pushed their second NCAA tournament game back a day, the Illini pitched a shutout against Notre Dame to advance to the regional final.
In a game that was delayed a day due to rain, the Illini silenced the Notre Dame bats on a masterful pitching performance by starter Drasen Johnson to advance. His day got off to an inauspicious start when a costly walk and error put him in a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. He managed to work out of trouble after inducing back-to-back popouts to right field, but found himself in a similar situation the next inning with two Fighting Irish batters on base and only one out. He once again escaped…
