Anthony Milazzo and Rob McDonnell lost their voices after spending the weekend yelling and cheering while banging on the dugout fence.

The two Ilini pitchers had good reason to be excited, as Illinois (10-4) earned a three-game sweep of Baylor (7-8) in dramatic fashion — a ninth-inning comeback and an 11-inning game. 

The Illini have now won nine of their last 10 games, the first time Illinois has swept a nonconference opponent on the road since it won three straight at South Florida in 2006.

“I think it’s a sign of a team that has the ability to be a good team,” head coach Dan Hartleb said, “when you’re playing those tough games against good competition, doing things that it takes to win.”

Illinois comeback in the ninth inning of Friday’s game was engineered by sophomores Will Krug and Michael Hurwitz, who hit his first career home run earlier in the game. Both walked to start the inning and advanced on a wild pitch. Then Krug scoredo off Justin Parr’s grounder, and Hurwitz scored on a single by David Kerian. Illinois won 4-3. 

As Game One of Saturday’s doubleheader reached the ninth inning tied, Hartleb told freshman Ryan Nagle to be ready to pinch hit but didn’t use him. Hartleb told Nagle to get ready to pinch hit again in the 10th inning but again he didn’t use him. And then in the 11th he told him once again to be ready to pinch hit.

“I think he thought I was crazy, kept telling him to ‘get loose, get loose,’” Hartleb said. “By the third time, he probably thought I was jerking his chain.”

He wasn’t, and with runners on first and second, the freshman got the biggest hit of his Illini career, a single to drive home the game-winning run, as the Illini won 5-4 in 11.

Game Two of the doubleheader seemed almost anticlimactic because the Illini scored two runs in the first before sophomore John Kravetz took over. He had a shutout going into the ninth inning before hitting the first two batters, which he admitted was because of fatigue. The Illini went on to win 6-1.

“It’s really fun because all of them were great team wins,” Krug said. “Everyone contributed at some point, and one of the best parts is we don’t think we were even at our full capability.”

Illinois is 9-1 since Krug was inserted into the leadoff spot. He led Illinois this weekend at the plate, going 7-for-13, scoring five runs and hitting two doubles.

Illinois’ pitching staff dominated Baylor’s hitters, combining for a 1.86 ERA and holding Baylor to a .176 average. During Saturday’s doubleheader, Baylor was held scoreless for a span of 15 2/3 innings from Game One to Game Two. The Illini relievers didn’t give up an earned run all series, with only three hits in 9 2/3 innings of relief.

The way Illinois swept Baylor was important for the Illini. Three of Illinois’ four losses this season have been in one-run games, so winning back-to-back tight games is just what Hartleb wanted to see from his team.

“I think it shows a little bit of a maturing process, and it shows that we can play composed under pressure,” Harlteb said. “We did that several years ago. We had that drive, desire and never quit attitude, and it’s good to see that out of this team.”

Jamal can be reached at [email protected] and @JamalCollier.