Box Score MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The No. 25-ranked West Virginia University baseball team fell to Illinois, 6-2, on Saturday afternoon inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
 
In the second of three games at the 2022 Cambria College Classic, the Mountaineers fell behind early and were unable to cut into the deficit until late in the ballgame. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Hampton took the loss for WVU, dropping his record to 2-1 on the year, while Riley Gowens was credited with the win for the Fighting Illini.
 
"(Illinois) struck us out 13 times, which isn't like us," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "We saw some high-spin-rate fastballs, the ones that get above your barrel, and we just couldn't adjust to it very well."
 
Hampton tossed a 1-2-3 first inning for the Mountaineers (7-3), before allowing a pair of runs in the second to give the Illini a 2-0 lead.
 
From there, though, Hampton was in total control. The De Pere, Wisconsin, native sent Illinois down in order in the third and fifth, tallying eight strikeouts in his first five innings of work.
 
In the sixth, Illinois put two runners in scoring position, but Hampton finished his outing with a groundout and inning-ending strikeout to keep it a two-run game.
 
In all, Hampton fired 6.0 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and one walk.
 
"He pitched really well again," Mazey said of Hampton. "This was the same as his first two times out. But he gave up two, and we didn't score any for him, so it doesn't work out too well."
 
Illinois (3-5) added a run in the top of the seventh, two more in the eighth and one in the ninth to make it 6-0. In need of a late rally, WVU got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth. However, the club couldn't draw any closer.
 
Sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook led West Virginia offensively with a 2-for-3 day at the plate with a run scored, while junior outfielder Victor Scott II also scored in the setback.
 
Next up, the Mountaineers conclude play at the Cambria College Classic with a Sunday matchup against Michigan State. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. ET.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.