NATCHITOCHES, La. – On Saturday afternoon at Brown-Stroud Field, the HCU baseball team fell in a low-scoring, 2-1, ballgame to Northwestern State to set up Sunday's game to determine the series winner.
HCU (15-19, 7-10 SLC) fell behind in the bottom of the first on a solo home run by Thomas Marsala III on a 1-0 count with two outs. The Demons (23-12, 14-6 SLC) scored run number two off HCU starter
David Lopez in the second, again with two outs. Sebastian Huerta doubled to left center before scoring on a single from Zach White.
In the top of the third,
Anthony Avalos reached on a one-out single before stealing second and moving over to third on a throwing error by Huerta on the try.
Jeremy Rader followed that up with a single through the left side to bring Avalos across and cut the Northwestern State lead in half.
The Huskies stranded runners in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings but were unable to solve NSU starter Dylan Marionneaux who went the distance with 11 strikeouts and just the one unearned run allowed.
Lopez was the hard-luck loser on the mound, giving up just the two earned runs in 4.1 innings and falling to 4-2 on the year. The senior righty struck out six, walked two and allowed four hits.
Louis Castano pitched the final 3.2 shutout innings in relief, scattering three hits and striking out six while walking two.
Rader finished the day 3-for-4 at the plate with three singles and one RBI. Avalos, meanwhile, went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Catcher
Levi Castilleja collected HCU's only other hit.
Luke Bard saw his 13-game hitting streak come to an end as he failed to collect a hit in four plate visits.
The rubber game is set for 1:00 p.m. at Brown-Stroud Field on Sunday, Apr. 12.
