CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Despite one of the best starts of sophomore right-hander Nick Dean's young career - tossing seven and two third innings of two run (one earned) baseball - the University of Maryland baseball team dropped Friday night's contest 2-0 as Illinois clinched the series opener at Illinois Field.

What You Should Know

• Friday night's tilt in Champaign was a bona fide pitcher's duel as Illinois ace Andrew Hoffman and Maryland sophomore Nick Dean went toe-to-toe, each carving through their opponents' lineups, both going 7 2/3 innings.
• Dean's start was as memorable as any of his career pitching appearances, making easy work of Illinois' lineup, which features the highest team batting average in the conference, and three of the league's top 10 hitters.
• The sophomore righty has now tossed four consecutive quality starts - going at least six innings and surrendering three or fewer earned runs in each outing.
• Offensively, the Terps struggled at the plate, largely due to Hoffman's best start of his collegiate career. Maryland went 3-for-30 as a team, striking out 14 times, and was shut out for just the second time this season.
• Illinois' first run came in the third inning as a one-out double and following RBI single got the Illini on the board. Their second came in the eighth as a passed ball brought home an unearned run.
• Chris Alleyne, Matt Orlando, and Riley Langerman each recorded base hits for the Terps.

Up Next

• Maryland and Illinois meet again on Saturday for a doubleheader starting at Noon ET. Both games will be nine-inning contests, and will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus. Originally a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series, projected rain in Sunday's forecast forced the move to a Saturday doubleheader.