NORMAL, Ill. (Interstat) — In a marathon contest defined by dominant pitching and relentless late-inning pressure, the Illinois State Redbirds outlasted the Western Illinois Leathernecks 7-6 in 15 innings on Saturday evening at Duffy Bass Field.

The game, which lasted nearly five hours, saw Illinois State overcome a four-run deficit and survive six scoreless extra innings before finally walking it off. The winning run crossed in the bottom of the 15th when Brayden Bakes was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing home Ryan Bakes.

The victory improved Illinois State’s record to 11-7, while Western Illinois fell to 3-14.

The most critical phase of the game was the extended stalemate from the ninth through the 14th innings, where both bullpens refused to yield. The standout performance came from Illinois State reliever Reece Clapp, who entered in the ninth and delivered seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight. His outing, following a scoreless two-inning appearance against the Leathernecks just two days prior, single-handedly kept the Redbirds in position to win.

Western Illinois built its lead early against Illinois State starter Luke Teschke. Liam Bushey launched a solo home run in the third inning, and the Leathernecks added two more in the fourth on an RBI double by Tyler Large and a run-scoring single from Krayton Morse. They extended the lead to 6-2 in the fifth on Wandel Campana’s RBI single and again in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Isaiah Monge.

Illinois State chipped away, however. Michael Carrano Jr. drove in a run with a double in the fourth, and Nolan Barry added a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The Redbirds then plated two in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk by Ryan Bakes and a fielder’s choice from Josh Outlaw, cutting the deficit to 6-4.

In the seventh, Luke Stulga’s RBI single, coupled with a Western Illinois error, made it a one-run game. The Redbirds tied it in the eighth in unconventional fashion, as Ryan Bakes scored from third on a balk by reliever Cade Sonoqui.

From there, the game transformed into a battle of attrition. Clapp was virtually untouchable for Illinois State. For Western Illinois, Eric Rawlings provided two perfect innings of relief, and Harrison Dubois followed with 3 2/3 hitless innings, striking out four.

The deadlock finally broke in the 15th. Ryan Bakes led off with a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and moved to third after an intentional walk and a fielder’s choice. After another walk loaded the bases, Bakes was plunked by a pitch from Dubois to end the game.

Illinois State outhit Western Illinois 16-8 but stranded 15 baserunners. The Redbirds’ bullpen, anchored by Clapp and including a scoreless three innings from Shuto Okumura, combined for 10 innings of one-run relief.

The two teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday.