Northwestern 3, at Illinois 4

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Interstat) — Will Johannes launched a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Illinois to a 4-3 victory over Northwestern on Saturday evening at Illinois Field. The Fighting Illini improved to 25-23 overall and snapped a two-game losing streak. The Wildcats fell to 20-27-1. Johannes, the Illinois catcher, finished 3-for-4 with a double and the decisive homer. His ninth-inning blast came against Northwestern reliever Jake Rifenburg, who had entered after starter Matt Kouser threw six innings. Illinois starter Aidan Flinn was the top performer, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing… Read more...