Above:Â Benet alum Pat McInerney scores a run in Illinois’ 10-3 victory over Ohio in Game 2 of the NCAA Champaign Regional.
The exploits of Kevin Duchene and John Kravetz on the mound are certainly two of the biggest reasons for Illinois’ breakout season of 2015.
But as the Illini rolled to 47 victories coming into the NCAA Tournament, which garnered it the No. 6 National Seed, opponents shouldn’t take their offense lightly.
Consider its 2015 NCAA Tournament opener on Friday as proof.
Thanks to a five-run second inning, top-seeded Illinois rolled to a 10-3 victory over fourth-seeded Ohio in Game 2 of the Champaign Regional.
Duchene, a junior left-hander, was the beneficiary of the 10 runs on 10 hits as he improved to 11-1 after going the distance for Illinois.
Duchene allowed three runs while scattering seven hits and striking out just one to send Illinois (48-8-1) into a meeting with Notre Dame, a 13-7 winner over Wright State, on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“First and foremost, I have to say playing behind 10 runs or how ever many runs made it a lot easier to battle through,” said Duchene, who tossed his first complete game of the year after a 114-pitch outing. “The defense and the hitting was outstanding. I’d say a couple of really key plays were the double plays that we turned.
“Those quick innings where maybe it was four or five pitches made it, they were crucial in my success.”
Duchene recovered from giving up a home run to John Adrayan in the top of the second, giving the Bobcats a 2-1 lead, by only surrendering one run over the next seven innings.
Reid Roper, Will Krug and Ryne Roper all had two hits apiece for the Illini, who recovered from Big Ten Tournament losses to Maryland and Michigan last week at Target Field in Minneapolis.
A pair of home runs in the first two innings from Reid Roper and David Kerian got the Illini’s offense going against Bobcats’ starter Jake Miller.
Reid Roper’s 10th home run of the season, a two-out, first-inning solo shot to right off Miller, tied the game at 1-1.
Meanwhile Kerian’s 15th homer of the season, coming with two men on and no outs in the second, gave Illinois its first lead of the game at 4-2.
“I knew I hit it well, with the wind pushing out as hard as it was,” Kerian said. “I’ve seen a lot of home runs today, so I knew it had a chance. I had a feeling it was going to be gone, but I watched the right fielder and once he hit the fence, I knew it was gone.”
The five-run bottom of the second saw the Illini pepper Miller for five hits as 10 men came to the plate.
Miller lasted just the two innings for Ohio (36-20) in giving up six runs on six hits while walking two.
“It’s just baseball,” Miller said. “It’s just how it is sometimes. Sometimes you’re on, like last week (in the MAC Tournament) and sometimes you’re off and they take advantage of it.”
Duchene, who came into his start Friday at 10-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 89 2/3 innings, gave up a hit and a walk to start the game as the Bobcats tallied a run on a force at second.
Benet alumnus Pat McInerney went 0-for-3 with a walk while scoring twice and stealing his second base of the season.
Through 51 games, McInerney is hitting .298 with five homers and 33 RBIs.
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