By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
HOUSTON – The Northwestern State baseball team’s second game of its Southland Conference series at Houston Christian played out much different than the first.
The result, however, stayed the same for the Demons.
A slow start on the mound and at the plate put Northwestern in an early hole and a pair of late HCU insurance runs allowed the Huskies to clinch the series with a 5-2 win Saturday afternoon at Husky Field.
“It was cleaner to an effect, but I don’t know, on our side, that we want to say it was better because it wasn’t as bad as (Friday) night,” second-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We need to realize we are still in search of doing winning things. We’re still pitching behind in counts. We still need to get out to better starts in games. There were five free, gifted bases in the bottom of the first after we’re trying to recover from what was (Friday night). From the beginning of the ball game, we weren’t able to flip the script into winning ways.”
Following Friday’s 17-10 game in which five Demon pitchers issued 14 walks, Northwestern (20-16, 12-8) issued seven more.
In a game where each team had nine hits, Northwestern was minus-five in walk differential, which allowed the Huskies (22-11, 14-3) to secure their second straight win.
Down 3-0 after HCU scored three two-out runs in the first two innings, the Demons struck back against right-hander Josh Caravalho (7-1) with a fourth-inning barrage.
Clay Jung’s one-out single that capped a 10-pitch at-bat led into Daniel Burroway’s 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot that brought the Demons within one.
Samuel Stephenson continued his stellar series with a single ahead of a flared single to right by Sebastian Huerta. Caravalho, however, recovered and recorded the next two outs without incident to maintain the lead.
Northwestern starter Tyler Bryan (1-5) settled in after the first two innings and kept HCU off the board in the next three, keeping things close.
Bryan worked five innings, allowing two earned runs, walking four and striking out four.
When the Demons turned to the bullpen, HCU attacked immediately on a Kenneth Dutka bunt single off Carter White. White then walked Tevis Payne ahead of a Jack Walker sacrifice bunt.
Parker Edwards’ two-run single extended the lead before White loaded the bases with two more walks before escaping and keeping it a three-run game.
“I made the point to the guys that five free bases in the first crooked number, and in the inning where they got their insurance runs, we walked more guys in one inning than they did in the entire game,” Bertrand said. “There’s that control of the game aspect where, I felt like, even though it was a close ball game and a better ball game today, they felt like they were in control from the beginning and we were not.”
Caravalho exited after seven innings, surviving a late push by the Demons, who saw Braden Benton’s two-out drive to deep center field with two runners aboard hauled in by Dutka before the HCU center fielder crashed into the wall and completed the catch.
Caravalho scattered nine hits in seven innings, issuing one walk while striking out four before Nick Ferazzi and Ben Norton tossed scoreless innings to close the game with Norton earning his fifth save.
Stephenson led Northwestern’s nine-hit attack with his second straight three-hit game.
The series concludes Sunday at 2 p.m. in another matchup of right-handers. Northwestern will send Trent Hillen (4-1, 3.38) to the mound against HCU’s Ben Smith (3-2, 4.31).
Houston Christian 5, Northwestern State 2
NSU 000 200 000 – 2 9 1
HCU 210 002 00x – 5 9 0
W – Joshua Caravalho (7-1). L – Tyler Bryan (1-5). S – Ben Norton (5). 2B – HCU, Kenneth Dutka, Jack Walker, Katcher Halligan. HR – NSU, Daniel Burroway (11). Highlights: NSU, Reese Lipoma 2-5; Samuel Stephenson 3-4. HCU, Dutka 2-5, 2B; Walker 2-3, 2B, RBI; Matthew Leiterman 2-4.
Records: Northwestern State 20-16, 12-8; HCU 22-11, 14-3.
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