It was pitching that carried the Illini baseball team through the Michigan State series last weekend, and the players haven’t missed a beat since.

Facing a tough Southern Illinois team at Rent One Park in Marion, Ill., Illinois (13-7) won 5-2 behind strong performances from sophomores Billy Barrett and Mike Sterk.

Barrett, who got the win in his first start of the season, allowed only two runs on seven hits in six innings. The only damage of the game came during the second inning, when Barrett walked Saluki left fielder Bret Maugeri and gave up a first-pitch homer to the designated hitter, Tyler Bullock.

And it could have been a whole lot worse.

Down by a run in the fourth, Barrett gave up three straight singles to load the bases with nobody out as Bullock came to the plate with an opportunity to break the game open. Bullock worked the count full before he struck out swinging. Barrett forced the next hitter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, stopping the Saluki threat before any runs could cross the plate.

“If you look at any game, there are one or two plays that dictate the outcome, and that was it,” Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said. “It was crucial confidence-wise for him and the team. Those are very tough situations that the coaches talk to the pitchers about all the time.

“It was so important because the game was still so close,” Barrett said. “Any runs there would have given the momentum back to the Salukis.”

The game remained close until the Illini half of the sixth, when the offense manufactured three runs with only one hit – a Kyle Hudson single to center that scored Craig Lutes. The other two runs came courtesy of a Saluki error and a Dominic Altobelli ground out.

“We have different types of weapons that we can rely on,” said Hartleb about his team’s ability to play small ball. “This is a very patient team and a very confident team.

“We don’t give pitchers a break, and if one guy’s struggling, another guy picks him up.”

Every Illini starter reached base during the game, led by Joe Bonadonna’s 3-for-4 performance that included three stolen bases, a hit-by-pitch and a run scored. Senior Daniel Webb also had a three-hit day and an RBI to go along with it.

Illinois has been on cruise control ever since it beat Judson University 15-5 on March 24. The team has won seven of its last eight games, and this was its seventh straight win over SIU.

Sterk picked up his first save of the season with three scoreless innings, in which he allowed just two hits, a walk and struck out three.

“So far this year I’ve been throwing sinkers and sliders to force ground balls, but in the pen I was working with my changeup, so I brought that to the mound tonight,” said Sterk, who managed to force six ground ball outs from the 13 hitters he faced. “You don’t really need to throw (the change) for a strike, you just need to show it to the hitter to keep them off balance.”

Hartleb said he was looking to find out which of his pitchers would add depth to the rotation for mid-week games and be able to work in long relief, and he got his answer Tuesday night.

The Illini have another mid-week game tonight at 6:05 p.m. against Saint Louis University.