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.
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
3 p.m. – No. 10 Rutgers vs. No. 6 Ohio State – Game 6
7 p.m. – No. 12 Michigan State vs. No. 8 Iowa – Game 7
10 p.m. – No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 11 Washington – Game 8
Thursday, May 21
3 p.m. – No. 5 Purdue vs. Game 7 Losing Team (Michigan State/Iowa) – Game 9
7 p.m. – Game 6 Winning Team (Rutgers/Ohio State) vs. (Michigan/Washington) – Game 10
Friday, May 22
10 a.m. – Game 7 Winning Team 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. – Game 8 Winning Team 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)
