SAN ANTONIO (Interstat) — In a Southland Conference series already defined by offense, it was a late-inning pitching duel that set the stage for a dramatic finish. Bryce Johnson’s three-run home run in the top of the 12th inning broke a lengthy stalemate and propelled Northwestern State to a 7-6 victory over Incarnate Word on Saturday at Roadrunner Field.

The game, which began in the afternoon and stretched into the evening, saw the Demons and Cardinals locked in a 4-4 tie from the bottom of the second inning until Johnson’s decisive blast. That nearly four-hour stretch of scoreless baseball was fueled by exceptional relief work, particularly from Northwestern State’s Wesley Marien, who threw four perfect innings with four strikeouts after replacing starter Trent Hillen in the seventh.

Hillen had worked six innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts. His counterpart, Incarnate Word’s EJ Garcia, delivered a gritty performance, scattering 11 hits over eight innings while allowing just three earned runs to keep the Cardinals in the game.

The early innings suggested a shootout. Northwestern State struck first in the opening frame when Brooks Leonard singled and later scored on Cole Marsala’s RBI double. Incarnate Word answered with two runs in the bottom half, capitalizing on three singles, a stolen base and a sacrifice fly from Rey Enriquez.

The Demons added an unearned run in the second on a sacrifice bunt by Ardoin, but the Cardinals surged ahead in their half of the inning. They plated two more runs on an RBI fielder’s choice from Jake Weaver and a sacrifice bunt by JD Cymbalista, taking a 4-3 lead. Northwestern State tied it in the fourth when Leonard singled home McAloose, who had doubled.

From that point, the bullpens took over. Following Garcia’s exit, the Cardinals’ Fawster Voytko kept the Demons off the board until the 12th. For Northwestern State, Marien was flawless before giving way to Caden Fiveash to start the 11th.

The deadlock finally broke due to a defensive miscue. In the top of the 12th, Marsala reached on a throwing error by Incarnate Word third baseman Lyssy. After an out and a hit-by-pitch, Johnson stepped in. The designated hitter, who had been hitless in his previous two games of the series, drove a 3-1 pitch from Voytko deep over the left-field wall for a three-run, unearned homer.

The Demons needed every one of those runs. In the bottom of the 12th, Fiveash walked Weaver and, with two outs, faced Tony DeJesus, who had entered the game defensively at first base. DeJesus connected for a two-run homer to left, suddenly cutting the deficit to one run. Fiveash regrouped to retire Tabor on a fly ball to right-center, ending the marathon.

Johnson finished 3-for-6 with the three RBIs, while Leonard went 3-for-6 with an RBI. Weaver led Incarnate Word, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

With the win, Northwestern State improved to 9-7 overall and evened the weekend series. Incarnate Word fell to 7-8. The teams conclude the three-game set on Sunday. The victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had simulated a 5-4 Incarnate Word win, though its ELO rating gave Northwestern State a 60.5% probability to win.