BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Interstat) — Owen ten Oever drove in four runs with a home run and a sacrifice fly, and Tony Neubeck pitched 6 1/3 strong innings as Indiana defeated Illinois 10-4 on Thursday night at Bart Kaufman Field.

The Hoosiers improved to 22-30 overall and snapped a six-game losing streak. The Fighting Illini fell to 26-24. Indiana collected 12 hits to Illinois’ nine.

Neubeck allowed three earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He left with a 9-4 lead in the seventh after throwing 100 pitches. Jackson Yarberry finished the game with two scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Indiana took control with a five-run second inning. After Illinois starter Mitch Dye retired the side in order in the first, the Hoosiers strung together four hits and took advantage of two walks. Caleb Koskie doubled to right center to score Hogan Denny for a 1-0 lead. A two-out rally continued with an RBI single by Ricketts, a fielder’s choice by Denny that scored a run, and a single by Hanley that tied the game at 4-4. Koskie then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to give Indiana a 5-4 lead.

Illinois tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly by M. Farina, but Indiana answered immediately in the bottom half. ten Oever singled, moved to second on a walk, then scored on a fielder’s choice by Gates to make it 6-5.

The game’s decisive blow came in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners at first and second after a walk to Koskie, ten Oever launched a three-run homer to left center off Illinois reliever Mitch Dye, who had entered in the third. The blast extended Indiana’s lead to 9-5. Dye, who pitched four innings, allowed four earned runs on zero hits but walked four and struck out four.

Illinois narrowed the gap in the seventh. With two outs, Nick Groves doubled to right center, driving in two runs and cutting the lead to 9-7. But Jacob Vogel relieved Neubeck and struck out Farina to end the threat. Indiana added a run in the eighth on ten Oever’s sacrifice fly to center, scoring Denny, who had doubled.

Denny finished 3 for 5 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored. Koskie had two RBIs on a double and a sacrifice fly. For Illinois, Groves went 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Farina had two hits and an RBI. Illinois starter R. Hall was pulled after allowing five runs in two innings.

The series continues Friday and Saturday at Bart Kaufman Field. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Illinois 6, Indiana 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Indiana with a 51.20 percent probability to win.