No. 5 Purdue 3, No. 9 Illinois 1 – Aidan Flynn took a shutout into the eighth inning for Illinois, but the Boilermakers got three runs in the bottom of the eighth, two on a single from Eli Anderson and another on a ground out back to the mound by Brandon Rogers that got them a two-run lead.
Flynn allowed three runs on two hits and two walks, striking out seven over 7 1/3 innings for Illinois, capping an outstanding freshman season where he posted a 2.79 ERA over 61 1/3 innings, striking out 58 while walking just 13 batters. Ranked No. 78 in the RPI, the baseball season came to an end for Illinois.
Purdue’s Zach Erdman allowed a single run on five hits in six innings, striking out four and walking one, the lone blemish a sixth-inning RBI single by AJ Putty that scored Michael Farina with Illinois’ lone run.
With the win, Purdue advances to an elimination game on Thursday at 3 p.m. EDT, where they will face the winner of the game between Michigan State and Iowa scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday.
No. 6 Ohio State 3, No. 10 Rutgers 2 – Lead-off man Alex Bemis scored twice for the Buckeyes, scoring the tying run on a single in the bottom of the sixth by Noah Furcht and then scored the winning run two innings later, chugging home from first on a double by Dane Harvey as Ohio State lived to play another day.
Henry Kaczmar hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth for Ohio State’s first run.
Rutgers took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth, getting an RBI single from Ryan Jaros, and then adding another when Yomar Carreras reached on an error, allowing Matt Chattelle to score from third on the play.
Ohio State’s Pierce Herrenbruck threw a complete game, earning the win and allowing two runs, one of them earned, on six hits and four walks while striking out three. It was his first complete game of the season and just the fourth of the year for the Buckeyes.
Ranked No. 116 in the RPI, the loss ends the season for the Scarlet Knights, while the Buckeyes move on to face the losing team from this evening’s game between Michigan State and Iowa, which is scheduled for 7 p.m.
No. 12 Michigan State 4, No. 8 Iowa 3 – The lowest seed and last team to secure a bid in the Big Ten tournament secured a berth in the single elimination bracket on Friday.
Ryan McKay’s single in the ninth scored Isaac Sturgess with the game-winning run for Michigan State, who will face No. 4 seed Southern California at 10 a.m. EDT Friday morning in the first of four quarterfinal games that day.
Iowa got on the board in the first with a sac fly by Miles Risley that scored Ben Swails.
The Spartans tied the game in the second when McKay’s sac fly scored Sturgess. A bases-loaded ground out to short in the fourth by Nick Williams scored CJ Deckinga to give the Spartans their first lead of the game.
In the sixth, Iowa got the lead back, tying the game on an RBI single by Gable Mitchell that scored Swails to tie the game at two apiece. With two outs, Jaixen Frost’s single to left field scored Mitchell for a 3-2 lead.
Michigan State capitalized on a throwing error by Iowa catcher Matthew Delgado, whose throw to first went wild after CJ Deckinga tried to take first after striking out. The throwing error allowed Parker Picot to score and tie the game at three.
The win keeps Michigan State’s season alive for at least two more days. Iowa fell to No. 69 in the RPI Wednesday morning, putting them outside the top 64, meaning that the loss to Michigan State has almost certainly ended their season barring a lot of lucky breaks.
No. 11 Washington 7, No. 7 Michigan 1 – The two lowest seeds in the tournament were the first two teams to advance out of the double elimination bracket as No. 11 Washington beat Michigan Wednesday night.
Blake Wilson got the Huskies on the board in the second with a two-run homer, and a double in the third by Sam Decarlo scored Jackson Hotchkiss to make it 3-0.
Michigan cut into the lead in the sixth when a sac fly by Dane Morrow scored Noah Miller to make it 3-1.
In the seventh, Mic Paul’s single scored Decarlo and Braeden Terry to make it 5-1 for the Huskies, and an inning later, Hotchkiss hit a two-run homer to make it 7-1.
Washington starter Jackson Thomas allowed one run on eight hits, walking two and striking out nine.
With the win, Washington will face third-seeded Oregon in Friday’s late game, while Michigan, ranked No. 46 in the RPI, will wait to see if they get a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines no longer control their fate, as their place in the RPI prior to the tournament selection will be determined by the results of games being played by teams still alive in conference tournaments around the country. At No. 46, they’ll need the teams above them in the RPI to keep winning.
Where to Watch – The entire 2026 Big Ten Baseball Championship will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and the games will also be available on the FOX Sports App.
2026 Big Ten Tournament Schedule
All times Eastern Daylight Time
All games played at Charles Schwab Field, Omaha, Nebraska
Tuesday, May 19
No. 12 Michigan State 8, No. 5 Purdue 4 – Game 1
No. 8 Iowa 10, No. 9 Illinois 6 – Game 2
No. 7 Michigan 10, No. 10 Rutgers 0 (Seven Innings) – Game 3
No. 11 Washington 8, No. 6 Ohio State 6 – Game 4
Wednesday, May 20
No. 5 Purdue 3, No. 9 Illinois 1 – Game 5
No. 6 Ohio State 3, No. 10 Rutgers 2 – Game 6
No. 12 Michigan State 4, No. 8 Iowa 3 – Game 7
No. 11 Washington 7, No. 7 Michigan 1 – Game 8
Thursday, May 21
3 p.m. – No. 5 Purdue vs. No. 8 Iowa – Game 9
7 p.m. – No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Washington – Game 10
Friday, May 22
10 a.m. – No. 12 Michigan State 4 vs. No. 4 Southern California – Game 11
3 p.m. – Game 9 Winning Team vs. No. 1 UCLA – Game 12
7 p.m. – Game 10 Winning Team vs. No. 2 Nebraska – Game 13
10 p.m. – No. 11 Washington vs. No. 3 Oregon – Game 14
Saturday, May 23
3 p.m. – Game 11 Winning Team vs. Game 12 Winning Team – Semifinal 1 – Game 15
7 p.m. – Game 13 Winning Team vs. Game 14 Winning Team – Semifinal 2 – Game 16
Sunday, May 24
3 p.m. EDT – Championship Game
Photo: (Courtesy of Purdue Sports)
