CHAMPAIGN — Several times this season, Dan Hartleb has credited his bullpen for bailing out his Illiniois baseball team.
The Illini relievers, though, were the ones in need of a bailout Sunday afternoon after giving up three runs during the eighth inning of an eventual 5-3 loss for Illinois in the final game of a three-game series against Grand Canyon at Illinois Field.
After Grand Canyon took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, Michael Massey supplied an RBI double before Bren Spillane came around to score on a wild pitch and tie the game at 2 in the fifth.