NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program secured a 7-6 win in 11 innings over Western Illinois at Duffy Bass Field Thursday afternoon. With the victory, the Redbirds move to 10-7 in 2026.
Following a game-tying RBI in the ninth inning from Senior Nolan Barry, Barry delivered a walk-off single to score Junior Ryan Bakes to secure Illinois State's walk-off victory in the home opener at Duffy Bass Field.
Barry had a career-best performance with three hits and matched his career high with two RBIs, thanks to the game-tying and walk-off singles. Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes also contributed with three hits, marking his fourth three-hit game, and scored three runs. Junior Luke Stulga joined Barry and Bakes as the third Redbird with three base hits in the game.
The Redbirds initially trailed after Western Illinois capitalized in the first inning with a sacrifice fly and a two-RBI single, taking a 3-0 lead. Illinois State responded in the bottom half of the opening frame, as Stulga drove in Bakes with an RBI single to make the score 3-1.
Bakes further added to the Redbird tally when Stulga drove him in on a groundout, pulling the score to 3-2 in the third inning. A frame later, the Redbirds tied the game at 3-3 with an infield single from Junior Graham Mastros.
In the sixth inning, the Leathernecks reclaimed the lead with another sacrifice fly, taking a 4-3 advantage. Later in the frame, Senior Josh Outlaw pinch-hit and tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single.
Western Illinois responded in the next inning, retaking the lead with two runs to go ahead 6-4. In the home half of the inning, Ryan Bakes hit a homer for the second consecutive game, cutting the lead to 6-5.
Trailing by a run entering the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Bakes reached on a hit-by-pitch to lead off the inning. With Bakes on first, Sophomore Eric Machej advanced Bakes into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, to set up Barry's game-tying RBI single.
NOTES
- Senior Nolan Barry tallied his first career three-hit game after recording a 3-for-6 performance in the contest.
- Barry matched his career-high of two RBIs with the game-tying and walk-off singles.
- Junior Brayden Bakes added his fourth three-hit performance of the season, marking a team best. Bakes leads the Redbirds with nine multi-hit games across the campaign.
- Junior Luke Stulga tallied three hits in the contest, marking the first time in his career with three or more hits in back-to-back games.
- Junior Ryan Bakes seventh inning home run marked the second game in a row that Bakes has homered, marking the first time in his career that he has homered in back-to-back games.
- With two hits, Junior Graham Mastros extended his hitting streak to eight games to match a career-best hitting streak.
- Junior Trenton Roehler recorded six strikeouts to tally a new career best punchout total.
- With 5.0 innings pitched, Roehler notched the longest outing of his career.
- After a three-run first inning, Roehler retired the next eight batters he faced with five strikeouts.
- The Redbird pitching staff tallied 11 strikeouts in the contest and has recorded double-digit punchout totals in back-to-back games.
- Illinois State's pitching staff has tallied six or more strikeouts in the last eight contests.
- The walk-off victory marks the Redbirds' first since Senior Josh Outlaw recorded a walk-off double against Eastern Illinois last season on May 13.
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