Illinois vs Ohio State
The first of two eliminations games of the day got started an hour and 5 minutes late due to some rainy weather in the morning. Once the game got going it was a bit chilly out and it took a while for Ohio State to get their bats going. Kevin Duchene held the Buckeyes in check through 4 until the errors starting to come for the Illini. It was pretty amazing that Duchene pitched 6 innings and gave up 5 runs but only 1 was earned. This game never felt as close to me as the one run final score indicated. Illinois keeps their season alive and move on to face Michigan State in a rematch Friday at 3:30 CT on BTN.
Minnesota vs Iowa
The second elimination game of the evening featured a lot of pitching and not much offense. The game on featured 8 total hits and 3 runs. Minnesota starting pitcher Ben Meyer threw well but a costly error but SS Michael Handel gave the Hawkeyes the lead for good. The game was not without a bit of controversy though as there was an Iowa steal taken away by umpire interference. Check the video below. Iowa moves on to face MichiganFriday night at 730 CT on BTN.
Nebraska vs Michigan State
In front of more than 11,000 loud Husker fans, Nebraska got its second straight one run victory in the conference tournament. Aaron Bummer was solid for the Huskers giving up no earned runs with 7Ks and 2 walks. Ryan Boldt had the hot bat and drove in two including an RBI double in the third inning. The Huskers were able to overcome three errors to hold on for the victory. They will play the winner of Michigan and Iowa on Saturday at 9am on BTN.
Indiana vs Michigan
This one was pretty cut and dry. Indiana dominated from the start as Christian Morris took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He allowed just one hit in seven innings. An explosion in the 7th inning from the Hoosiers came when they scored 5 runs that included a Kyle Schwarber HR. The Hoosiers move on to face the winner of MSU vs Illinois and will play them on Saturday at 1pm on BTN. A funny thing did happen though when IU’s head coach threw water on his players that were videobombing him. Glad to see them having fun.