NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana – Northwestern State broke a 3-3 tie with a four-run rally in the bottom of the eighth to claim a 7-4 victory and a series win over HBU Saturday afternoon at Brown Stroud Field.
Sophomore third baseman
Elijah Simon went 2-for-2 with a home run for the Huskies (20-23, 12-8 SLC), while
Matt Heck went 1-for-2 with a double to extend his team season-best hitting streak to 11 games.
Senior lefthander
Matthew McCollough (6-2) suffered his first loss in conference play, allowing seven runs, six earned on eight hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 7.2 innings.
Peyton Davis went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs for the Demons (25-18, 11-9), while J.P. Lagreco went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Kwan Adkins doubled and scored twice.
Jerry Maddox (5-3) picked up the win, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks in eight innings for NWST.
Senior shortstop
Tyler Depreta-Johnson led off the game with a single and scored on senior leftfielder
Spencer Halloran's RBI groundout in the first. The Huskies took a 2-0 lead on Simon's solo shot to left in the fifth, his fourth of the season.
The Demons got on the board on Davis's solo shot to center in the fifth, after McCollough had faced the minimum through 4.1 innings.
In the sixth, Chaney Dodge led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Adkins walked, but David Fry popped out to short for the second out. Tyler Smith then hit a ball off the end of the bat that started out foul, then spun back into fair territory and Simon's throw could not be picked up at first, allowing both runners to score and giving the Demons a 3-2 lead.
Heck led off the seventh with double, but was thrown out at the plate on a squeeze play. After Simon was hit by a pitch that loaded the bases, senior second baseman hit a hard grounder to third, but it bounced off the third baseman's glove, allowing the Huskies to tie the game, 3-3.
Adkins doubled in the eighth and Fry was intentionally walked. Lenni Kunnert walked to load the bases, then Lagreco blooped a two-run single to center. Davis followed with a bloop two-run single to left, to put the Demons ahead, 7-3.
Junior
Brady Batten pinch hit and drew a walk in the ninth and a dropped fly ball allowed HBU to platte another run, but could not mount a comeback.
The series concludes with a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday.
