By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – Everything went according to plan for the Northwestern State baseball team Tuesday night.
Three Demon pitchers held Centenary’s offense down while the veteran Northwestern lineup turned a spate of extra-base hits into an 11-1, seven-inning victory against the Gents at Brown-Stroud Field.
Former Haughton star Colin Rains went 3-for-4.
“A very workmanlike win,” second-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We got tremendous work done today. We got tremendous learning done today. I thought the ballgame played a certain way the first couple of innings, and then we were able to open it up in the third and the fourth.”
Those crooked-number innings propelled the Demons (15-9) to their 10th straight win at Brown-Stroud Field and their sixth straight midweek win to start the season.
The 11-run performance – with nine of those coming in the third and fourth innings – kept another streak alive as Northwestern has scored in double figures in all six of its midweek games.
While sophomore right-hander Kevin Robinson (5-0) kept the Gents (9-15) off-balance for four innings, allowing only an unearned run, the Demons took a little time to solve Centenary starter Roman Ardoin.
Ardoin (1-3) did not allow a leadoff walk, a stolen base and an error to hurt him in the first, but Balin Valentine unlocked the Demon offense by shooting the first pitch he saw in the second inning to right-center field for a triple.
Valentine scored on Daniel Burroway’s single one pitch later, but it was Valentine’s third-inning swing that truly began the Demon offense’s breakout.
A season after leading the Demons with 10 home runs, Valentine connected on his first of the season, a two-out, two-run shot to left center off Centenary reliever Coen Laroux.
“I just tried to take what the pitchers gave me and put an athletic swing on it,” Valentine said. “I think the homer was better. It was good to be seeing it good and swinging it good.”
Northwestern continued to swing it well – and take advantage of a pair of bases-loaded walks – in the fourth inning.
The biggest swing came from senior third baseman Rocco Gump, whose bases-clearing triple highlighted the six-run frame.
“What I’m most proud of is the bases-loaded triple after the first two at-bats really didn’t go his way,” Bertrand said. “He was upset with the 2-0 swing he took on the popup (in the first inning). He’s obviously upset with the strikeout, but what he’s able to do is he’s able to take that and process the information and use it in at-bat No. 3. That’s the mark of a veteran player.”
With seniors Valentine, Gump and Reese Lipoma (1-1, 3 walks, 3 runs scored) leading the offense, three underclassmen pitchers combined to limit the Gents to five hits and the unearned third-inning run.
Following Robinson’s four strong innings, freshman Wesley Marien turned in two-plus scoreless innings in the first multi-inning appearance of his Demon career. After Marien allowed a leadoff single in the seventh, sophomore right-hander Austin Anderson needed just four pitches to record the final three outs.
Anderson struck out pinch hitter Aidan Lambert on three pitches before getting Walker Wicklund to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play on his first pitch.
That trio combined for eight strikeouts without issuing a walk.
“I felt pretty comfortable,” said Marien, who threw 28 of his 34 pitches for strikes. “I felt like all my pitches were working pretty well. I didn’t try to think too much about it in the second inning. I tried to treat it like my first inning.”
Marien, making just his fourth appearance of the season, also showed a penchant for processing in-game information and putting it to use.
“Kevin’s a guy who has a bunch of different pitches and can throw them all for strikes,” Marien said. “I picked up he was getting ahead with the fastball and burying them with two-strike breakers down. I just tried to use that with my arsenal.”
The Demons continue their four-game homestand Friday when they host Nicholls in the opener of a three-game Southland Conference series. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Brown-Stroud Field.
Northwestern State 11, Centenary 1
CC 001 000 0 – 1 5 1
NSU 013 610 x – 11 11 1
W – Kevin Robinson (5-0). L – Roman Ardoin (1-3). 2B – CC, Blaine Birkelbach. NSU, Samuel Stephenson. 3B – NSU, Rocco Gump, Balin Valentine. HR – NSU, Valentine (1). Highlights: CC, Birkelbach 2-3. NSU, Stephenson 2-3, 2 RBIs; Valentine 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 RBIs; Colin Rains 3-4.
Records: Centenary 9-15, Northwestern State 15-9.
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