In what Eastern head coach Jim Schmitz termed “the longest game of my life,” the Panthers survived a game of attrition in a 12-9 road victory against Illinois State.

Both teams combined for 12 pitchers and 15 walks, but it was the Panthers who capitalized on their opportunities.

The Panthers that tasted the most success against Redbirds’ pitching was the 3-4-5 hitters of Erik Huber, Ryan Campbell and Jason Cobb.

The trio had been struggling recently at the plate, but came through in a big way, going 8-for-14 with nine RBIs.

Campbell and Cobb helped put the Panthers in control in the sixth and seventh innings.

With Huber on second and Mark Chagnon on third, Campbell hit a double to center scoring two runs. Cobb followed Campbell with an RBI double to give the Panthers a 9-3 lead in the sixth.

“(Campbell and Cobb) drove the ball really well,” Schmitz said. “With as good as 1-2 hitters we have, they’re going to get their opportunities. They took advantage.”

While the hitting was stellar for Eastern, their relief pitchers had a difficult time putting the Redbirds away.

Freshman Jake Wade (3-0) started for the Panthers and was impressive, pitching four innings while striking out two and allowing one earned run.

“He really settled down after the first inning,” Schmitz said. “I was happy with the next three innings. He seems like a good fit for (one of our starter’s spots).”

Kenny Firlit came in after Wade and walked three batters without recording an out. Illinois State scored three runs in the fifth to cut the Panthers’ lead to 6-3.

When asked about his pitchers giving up 10 walks, Schmitz focused on the umpiring rather than his pitchers’ lack of control.

“The umpiring was terrible all night,” Schmitz said. “It was as bad as I’ve seen in a long time.”

The Redbirds cut the Eastern deficit to 12-9 in the eighth inning, scoring five runs off Ross Jeske.

Closer Chris Vaculik pitched efficiently the final two innings, preserving the Panthers’ victory.

“We can’t win with five or six guys pitching every game,” Schmitz said. “We’d like to set our rotation to a point where we have consistency. Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten to that level yet.”

After coming off a 10-6 victory against Illinois, Eastern has built up confidence during its mid-week games.

With the Panthers’ 3-4-5 hitters coming around at the most pivotal point of the season, Schmitz believes his team is starting to gel.

“When (the 3-4-5 hitters) have as good a day as today,” Schmitz said with his voice trailing off. “.It’s gonna be fun to watch.”