ILLINOIS ERASES 6-RUN DEFICIT TO SHOCK WASHINGTON
Game 1: Illinois vs Washington
Illinois avenges Friday’s 9th inning collapse with a 10-9 comeback victory over the Washington Huskies, who fall to 0-2 at the Las Vegas Classic.
The Las Vegas Classic has been nothing short of high-action baseball so far, with a third consecutive game of at least 10 runs scored by the winning team.
The Fighting Illini got down early in this one, trailing by a score of 9-3 through 5 innings, but finished the game scoring 7 unanswered to complete the dramatic comeback.
Illinois’ offense totaled a staggering 24 baserunners on the day, with key contributions from seniors Vytas Valincius and Drake Westcott igniting their 6-run sixth inning.
Valincius finished the day 3-5 with 3 RBIs and a stolen base, and Westcott with a ginormous 2-run double off the right field wall to swing the game back in the Illini’s control.
Lost in Illinois’ comeback win was the inspiring relief outing from junior lefty Sam Reed, who pitched the last four innings for the Illini, allowing no runs off just 3 hits.
“We just go out there and compete and be a junkyard dog,” says Reed. “You never know when your last outing’s going to be, so you’re going to go out there and give it everything you got and let the cards fall where they may.”
For the Huskies, they suffered their second straight loss in frustrating fashion.
Senior AJ Guerrero was moved to the leadoff spot, and continued to hit the baseball at a high level. Guerrero finished the day 3 for 5 with a home run, double, and 2 RBIs to continue his stellar tournament.
Sophomore DH Colton Bower had himself a great afternoon as well, finishing his day 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, an RBI, and a stolen base.
TEXAS DOMINATES IN-STATE RIVAL TEXAS TECH 10-5
Game 2: Texas vs Texas Tech
The Texas Longhorns took down their former Big-12 and in-state rivals Texas Tech 10-5 to give them firm control over capturing the Las Vegas Classic Championship belt.
The Longhorns led this game from the 2nd inning on, after a wave of 7 runs were scored off two home runs from Ethan Mendoza and Will Gasparino.
Mendoza starred in this game, finishing the night batting 2 for 5, a home run, and 4 RBI’s to go along with it.
The Longhorns were able to hold their lead thanks to a quality start from their star lefty Luke Harrison, who completed 5 strong innings only allowing 1 run off of 6 hits and punching out 7 Red Raiders.
Harrison’s power fastball and wipeout slider combination kept Texas Tech hitters off balance all night, as Tech’s only run scored off Harrison came from a Damian Bravo groundout.
“My job is to go out there and dominate the zone one pitch at a time,” says starter Luke Harrison. “Sticking to my process and throwing as many strikes as I can and it always works every single time.”
For Texas Tech, they could only get 1.2 innings from their starter RHP Lukas Pirko, who couldn’t get out of the second inning after a barrage of extra base hits from Longhorns sluggers.
The Red Raiders were able to get hits from their red-hot outfielder Damian Bravo, who tallied another 2 hits on the night including a double and an RBI.
The Las Vegas Classic will wrap up tomorrow with Texas looking to capture the championship belt Sunday morning against Illinois, and Washington looking to salvage a win against Texas Tech in the late afternoon finale.
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