PHOENIX — Illinois handed the ball to Sean Leland with Saturday's game still in the balance.
Leland didn't disappoint, either. The redshirt senior right-hander delivered 4 1 / 3 strong innings, and the Illini tacked on insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings to put away a 5-2 win over Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon.
Illinois (9-3), which has recovered nicely after a poor showing the previous weekend, when the Illini dropped three of four games, seeks a series sweep at 2 p.m. today when it sends ace Cyrillo Watson to the mound against the Antelopes (6-8).