Several players pumped their fists a little bit harder after this one. Another Illini had his airplane-arms extended as he lined up to shake his teammates’ hands on the mound.

Northwestern (18-17, 7-11 Big Ten) left the bases loaded in the ninth in a 5-3 Illinois victory as the Illini took two of three from the Wildcats at Illinois Field. 

It made each hug from family members after the game more pleasant and each photo a little bit easier to smile for as the Illini wore special stars and stripes jerseys that were auctioned off to raise money for charity. A series loss could have been devastating for Illinois’ (26-13, 8-7 Big Ten) postseason hopes. The Illini are seventh in the Big Ten standings, and the top six teams in the conference make the conference tournament.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position where we kind of need to win every game,” third baseman Brandon Hohl said. “That’s just the way it is. It’s not pressure on us. We’re just going to have to play the way we know how to play, and we can’t afford any losses anymore, to be honest.” 

Some college baseball analysts, including Kendall Rogers from Perfect Game, have as many as three Big Ten teams making the national tournament this season. Most years, only the Big Ten tournament champion makes the tournament. 

“I think this is the best the conference has ever been since I’ve been here,” said head coach Dan Hartleb, who has been in the program for 23 years, including his time as an assistant coach.

The weekend started with Illinois ace Kevin Johnson getting scratched from Friday’s start after feeling soreness in his throwing arm. It’s the first time Johnson has missed a start in his career.

“He’s been sore for a couple weeks,” said Hartleb. “There’s nothing structurally wrong. I just felt like if we continued to throw him, it could get worse and thought that we need to give him one start off. I expect him to be back Friday.”

Left hander Kevin Duchene got the start in his place and pitched 6 2/3 innings surrendering five hits and two runs, with only one earned. 

Illinois battled back to tie the game in the ninth and then again in the tenth as the game lasted 13 innings, the longest Illini game since 2005, before a solo home run by Northwestern’s Jack Harvey provided the margin of victory. 

It was all about Justin Parr on Saturday, as so often it has been this season. His single in the third extended his hit streak to 26 games, the most in school history. Parr added a three-run home run in the eighth — his career-high fifth on the season —  as the Illini cruised to a 12-3 victory in the rain. John Kravetz’s pitching performance Saturday shouldn’t be overlooked. He bounced back from a rough last couple of starts, striking out seven in seven innings and allowing two earned runs.

On Sunday, Northwestern tacked on two runs in the first inning and Illinois trailed for much of the game. The Illini were down 3-1 at the start of the seventh, when a four-run inning gave the Illini the lead for the first time all game.

Pitcher Ronnie Muck earned the win after making his return from injury this weekend. Last season, Muck was Illinois’ primary setup man, and he was in position to be the same this year before injuring his forearm. Before Friday, he hadn’t pitched since March 9 against Baylor. 

“It’s good it gives us options,” Hartleb said. “And he’s got a strikeout pitch.”

Muck entered the game in the fifth with runners on second and third and one out and used his cutter to get a crucial strikeout. He pitched 3 2/3 innings and allowed one unearned run and struck out two.

“Sitting on the bench, it was nerve racking,” Muck said. “It’s nice being back knowing that everything’s OK.”

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