Illinois’ Jack Zebig and Greg LaChance occupied second and third base respectively, as cleanup hitter Collin Jennings prepared to see a 0-1 offering from Maryland starter Logan Hastings. The result wasn’t conventional, but Jennings most certainly cleaned up. 

The Fighting Illini center fielder nailed a grounder through the 3-4 hole on what looked to be a potential two-RBI single; it turned into a little league home run. The ball rolled under Aden Hill’s glove in right field, enabling Jennings to urgently race around the bags.

The Terps’ relay to the plate was extremely close, but Jennings dove head first and stretched with his left arm to narrowly beat the tag of catcher Alex Calarco. The early defensive blunder set the tone in the second half of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Fighting Illini rode their immediate three-run lead to a 15-3 victory over Maryland in eight innings. 

Maryland’s disheartening loss at Illinois Field was its second of the day after falling 7-4 in the first contest of the day-night doubleheader. No matter the result of Sunday’s series finale, the Terps (14-17, 3-8 Big Ten) will leave Champaign with their fourth Big Ten series loss this season.       

Hastings had a really tough start against Northwestern last weekend. In the first inning of that appearance, he walked three and gave up two hits, ultimately surrendering three runs. 

Saturday’s first inning against Illinois (17-11, 6-5 Big Ten) was just as brutal for the freshman starter. 

Hastings walked the first two Fighting Illini batters, but struck out three-hole hitter Kyle Schupmann to stabilize the storm — or so it seemed. Jennings followed with his three-run-scoring knock (which was officially ruled a single with a three-base error). 

Hastings then walked Vytas Valincius before plunking Grant Ross, spelling an early end to the freshman’s night. Fighting Illini right-fielder Cameron Chee-Aloy later closed the book on Hastings by socking a double to left field, scoring Valincius and Ross.

With some command issues and tough luck, Hastings’ final line read: five runs in just 0.1 innings pitched, to the tune of just three walks and one hit. 

Illinois countered with redshirt junior Ben Plumley, who fared much better. He tossed a pair of 1-2-3 innings to start the night and worked around traffic to keep the Terps off the board in third.

The Terps finally got to Plumley in the top of the fourth though.

Eddie Hacopian started a rally with a jam-shot base hit to center — his 200th career knock. The Maryland captain advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch, before coming all the way around on an odd play. 

First baseman Hollis Porter waved at a ball in the dirt, allowing him to take first as the dropped third strike bounced away from catcher Will Johannes. The junior backstop collected and fired toward first, but his throw deflected off of Porter’s back. Umpires met to discuss the play but determined that Eddie Hacopian’s run would stand. 

Naturally, the Fighting Illini answered Maryland’s run with five.  

Reliever Omar Melendez had kept Illinois quiet in the second and third but surrendered a double and a LaChance two-run homer to lead off the fourth. Melendez couldn’t make it out of the inning either. 

Senior Ryan Van Buren inherited two runners from Melendez; one came across to score on an RBI groundout, while the other reached home thanks to a Colton Quagliano single. That base hit also plated Ross, as Illinois held a 10-1 lead after four frames.  

Infielder Brayden Martin extended the buffer between the Terps and a run-rule loss, as he scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning. That was also the final frame of Plumley’s evening. In his winning effort, Plumley racked up six strikeouts while surrendering two runs (both unearned).   

Hill then plated Porter with an RBI base hit in the top of the seventh, but Maryland’s pair of runs only delayed an inevitable fate.

Valincius chopped a 2-RBI double down the left field line in the seventh, putting the Terps back on the brink of a run-rule defeat with a 12-3 deficit. Alongside LaChance and Chee-Aloy, Valincius was one of three Fighting Illini batters who tallied three hits on the evening. 

Zebig fittingly brought the night to a close by lacing a 3-run homer down the right-field line in the eighth. He and Valincius both racked up three RBIs, while four other Illinois batters had two. Zebig also scored four runs in four at-bats, a feat that LaChance matched as well.    

On the other side, Saturday’s two losses were another addition to Maryland’s uninspiring stretch. The Terps have lost five of six dating back to last Friday.

But, the weekend isn’t over yet. The Terps will desperately look to avoid the sweep in Sunday’s series finale. Oliver Schaack will have the call for MBN; first pitch of that one is set for 2 p.m. EST.