CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Freshman Harry Rutkowski logged his fifth consecutive quality start, but Rutgers baseball suffered a 2-1 loss at No. 18 Illinois Saturday at Illinois Field. The setback snapped the Scarlet Knights' streak of six-straight weekend series victories.
 
Rutkowski (4-2) allowed two runs in six innings on the mound, striking out six and stranding nine runners on base. The left-hander has permitted just five earned runs in his last 34 innings (1.32 ERA), but has received just one run in support in back-to-back hard-luck defeats. Junior Serafino Brito faced the minimum in two innings of relief to give RU a chance late.
 
The Fighting Illini (22-8, 8-3) used a two-out RBI single up the middle to take a 1-0 lead after the first inning. Then looking to break it open in the second with bases loaded and no outs, Rutkowski denied the advance by picking up a strikeout, an infield pop and a grounder to weave out of trouble. A triple and ensuing single in the third made it 2-0. However, Rutkowski dealt three scoreless frames to finish his outing.
 
Rutgers (18-13, 4-4) broke through to plate a run in the top of the seventh. Junior Carmen Sclafani connected for a two-out single and junior Tyler McNamara reached on error to put two aboard. Next up, sophomore Kevin Welsh shot a hard grounder through the right side for his second hit of the day, which scored Sclafani. Welsh would later move up to second to put two in scoring position, but a groundball stranded the pair in what proved to be the latest threat.
 
Quinn Snarskis (4-1) earned the win for Illinois with no earned runs surrendered over 6.2 innings. Joey Gerber registered his 11^th save of the season.
 
The Scarlet Knights will look to salvage the series finale Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Sophomore Eric Reardon is slated to make the start.
 
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