2012 College Baseball: Illinois Gets First Win Of Season Over No. 27 St. John's

The Illinois Fighting Illini baseball team got its first victory of the 2012 season on Sunday with a 9-4 victory over the No. 27 St. John's Red Storm. Riding behind a dominant performance from relief pitcher John Kravetz, the Illini managed to pull away after trailing early following a rough first inning.

Nick Chmielewski started the game for Illinois, but he didn't last long as he struggled with some major command issues. Facing seven different hitters, Chmielewski only retired one while giving up four walks, two hits and three runs. Following that, the Fighting Illini brought in Kravetz to take over, and that's exactly what he did. After getting a double-play to end the first inning, Kravetz would go on to pitch another six shutout innings while allowing just two hits and one walk.

With Kravetz churning on the mound, Illinois didn't need a ton of offense, but the hitters came through anyways. Right fielder Davis Hendrickson went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and third baseman Brandon Hohl went 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk. First baseman Jordan Parr also added a home run and two walks, scoring three times on the day. Overall, Illinois got nine runs on 13 hits and five walks,

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more Illinois baseball recaps, updates and previews.