Iowa baseball team defeats Illinois to open Big Ten Tournament

The Iowa baseball team defeated Illinois 10-6 in an opening-round game of the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha on May 19.

Joey Nerat hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Iowa a 10-6 lead. The Hawkeyes scored five times in the frame.

Illinois took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning before Iowa answered with three runs in the second inning. Max Burt’s double plated two runs and Jaylen Ziegler’s single scored another.

Iowa has scored 10 or more runs in four straight games.

Caleb Wulf had three hits to lead Iowa. Burt and Nerat both drove in three runs.

Iowa’s Jaron Bleeker pitched five innings of relief, allowing just three hits and one run.

The Hawkeyes will face Michigan State in the double-elimination first stage at 5 p.m. on May 20. The winner of that game advances to the eight-team, single-elimination stage on May 22. The loser will play in an elimination game on May 21.

Illinois will face Purdue in an elimination game at 9 a.m. at May 20.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa baseball defeats Illinois to open Big Ten Tournament 2026