HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Interstat) — The Illinois State Redbirds turned a tight contest into a decisive rout with a nine-run seventh inning, cruising to a 14-2 victory over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs in nonconference baseball action Wednesday evening at Bulldog Field.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under the lights, saw the Redbirds break open a 5-2 lead by sending 13 batters to the plate in the decisive seventh. The outburst was fueled by five hits, three walks, a hit batter and a critical Alabama A&M error.

Illinois State (6-2) was held in check early, managing only two unearned runs through the first three innings against Alabama A&M starter A. Torres and reliever Raymond Clark. The Redbirds added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to build a 4-1 lead.

The most important sequence of the game began in the top of the sixth when Illinois State’s B. Bakes launched a three-run homer to right field, scoring J. Outlaw and L. Stulga to extend the lead to 7-2. That power surge set the stage for the game-breaking seventh.

Facing Bulldogs reliever Avery Seaton, the Redbirds’ offense exploded. After a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice bunt, Stulga drove in a run with a single. B. Bakes followed with another single, and a walk loaded the bases. P. McHarg then delivered a two-run single to left center. G. Mastros cleared the bases with a triple to right field, driving in two more. E. Machej capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI double, plating Mastros. Seaton was charged with six earned runs while recording only two outs.

The offensive support was more than enough for a dominant performance by the Illinois State pitching staff. Starter Tresdon Rybarczyk allowed one unearned run over three innings, giving up no hits while striking out three. Trenton Roehler followed with two hitless innings of relief, and Lucas Foley closed the game with a perfect seventh inning, striking out two. The trio combined to allow just four hits, all off Rybarczyk and Roehler, while striking out seven.

Alabama A&M (2-6) scored its only runs in the second and fifth innings, both aided by Illinois State errors. In the second, a walk by Isaac Castro with the bases loaded drove in Wilmer Cuevas. In the fifth, a double by C. Walker brought home B. Hammonds, who had reached on an error.

Cuevas and Keondre Fields each had two of the Bulldogs’ four hits. The Alabama A&M defense committed four errors, leading to five unearned Illinois State runs.

The Redbirds collected 11 hits in total, with Stulga, B. Bakes, Outlaw and Machej each recording multiple hits. Mastros drove in four runs despite not recording an official hit until his seventh-inning triple, as his first two RBIs came on a third-inning error.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had simulated a 7-2 Illinois State victory and gave the Redbirds a 90.10 percent probability to win based on its ELO system.

Illinois State travels to face Middle Tennessee for a three-game series starting Friday. Alabama A&M will host Notre Dame in a neutral-site game in Cookeville, Tennessee, on Friday.