MACOMB, Ill. (Interstat) — In a wild back-and-forth Ohio Valley Conference contest defined by a massive seventh-inning swing, Western Illinois rallied to defeat Arkansas-Little Rock 8-5 on Sunday at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium, avoiding a series sweep.

The game’s pivotal sequence came in the bottom of the seventh inning. Trailing by four runs after a grand slam, the Leathernecks mounted an immediate and decisive response against the Trojans’ bullpen.

Arkansas-Little Rock had seized a 5-3 lead in the top of the frame when left fielder Blake Simpson launched a two-out, grand slam to right field off reliever Karsten Stotlar. The blast, which followed singles by Jake McClure and Jack Bilski and a walk to Ryan Geck, appeared to crush the Leathernecks’ spirits.

Western Illinois answered with ferocity in its half of the inning. Joe Connolly was hit by a pitch, Liam Bushey singled and Wandel Campana walked to load the bases with no outs. Designated hitter Gage Hoover then ripped a two-run double down the third base line, scoring Connolly and Bushey to tie the game. Isaiah Monge followed with an RBI single to right, plating Hoover with the go-ahead run. Monge advanced to second on the throw and later scored on a passed ball to cap the four-run inning and an eight-run turnaround in a span of just three outs.

The victory improved Western Illinois to 7-21 overall and 2-4 in the OVC, while Arkansas-Little Rock fell to 19-13 and 4-2.

The game began with both teams scoring three runs in the first inning. The Trojans struck first when Nolan Freund’s RBI single scored Jerdy Lopez, who was hit by a pitch. The Leathernecks countered in the bottom half on an RBI single from Monge and a two-run double by Cordell Coburn.

Western Illinois took a 5-3 lead in the second, capitalizing on command issues from Trojans pitching. With the bases loaded, Hoover and Monge drew back-to-back walks to force in two runs. That threat was extinguished by Trojans reliever Isaac Evaniew, who entered with two outs and struck out Coburn to limit the damage.

Evaniew was brilliant in long relief, delivering the game’s top pitching performance. He stifled the Leathernecks over 4 1/3 hitless innings, striking out six and walking none to keep the Trojans within striking distance. His effort set the stage for Simpson’s seventh-inning heroics.

Western Illinois starter Brett Buchanan earned the win, providing stability with six innings of work. He allowed three earned runs on four hits, striking out eight. Reliever Harrison Dubois was crucial in preserving the lead, throwing three scoreless innings and allowing just three hits to earn the save.

Simpson finished 2 for 4 with four RBIs to lead the Trojans’ nine-hit attack. Monge drove in three runs for Western Illinois, while Hoover also had three RBIs.

The outcome defied pregame projections from Interstat, which gave Arkansas-Little Rock a 74.5% probability to win and projected an 8-3 Trojans victory.

Arkansas-Little Rock travels to face Arkansas on Tuesday. Western Illinois begins a series at Lindenwood on Friday.