By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For six innings Saturday afternoon, the second game of Northwestern State’s Southland Conference baseball series at Stephen F. Austin was a well-pitched, well-played matchup.
Things unraveled on the Demons in the final two innings as the Lumberjacks put up consecutive crooked-number innings to grab an 8-1 victory at Pilgrim’s Park to split the first two games of the series.
“I think the ball game needs to be credit to the way (SFA left-hander Cody Templeton) threw the baseball, and it needs to be known on our side that we had 13 flyball outs on a day where flyballs weren’t going to anywhere,” second-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We also had eight strikeouts, so 21 of the 27 outs we were granted on offense, we didn’t put any pressure on them. Our lack of adjustments offensively really did us in. We couldn’t create pressure to generate runs.
“Then, seven, eight and nine, it was just poor overall baseball in the way of defensive and pitch execution. We’re well aware of all of those facts, and I think we’re well prepared to learn from it and put it behind us tonight and come out tomorrow better at Demon baseball.”
After Templeton (4-4) and Demon right-hander Tyler Bryan (1-6) dueled for four scoreless innings, the Demons broke through in the fifth inning because of failed execution by the Stephen F. Austin (12-29, 4-19) defense.
Balin Valentine’s and Bryce Johnson’s double steal from second and first turned into the Demons’ only run when SFA catcher Owen Hooper’s throw went into left field, allowing Valentine to score.
That unearned run was all Templeton allowed as he held the Demons (26-18, 16-10) to four hits – all singles – in his second complete game of the season. Templeton issued only one walk while striking out eight.
Three of the first four Northwestern hitters reached base against Templeton in the fifth inning before the left-hander stranded Johnson at third to keep the deficit at one.
That one run was enough for Bryan and the Demon defense through six innings. A junior right-hander from Beckville, Texas, Bryan struck out six through six scoreless innings before a pivotal seventh inning saw the Lumberjacks score five runs – only two of which were earned.
In keeping the Lumberjacks scoreless through six innings, Bryan induced a pair of double plays, helping him scatter six hits in that time.
“TB did a really good job,” Bertrand said. “For six innings, it was a really good baseball game. It’s just – when you look at wanting a different result – if we want to produce something that becomes a win, we’ve got to be better in those areas we mentioned, especially offensive adjustability.”
Julian Swift’s leadoff single started the five-run seven that was aided by a balk call on Bryan and an error by the pitcher. An inning later, the Lumberjacks tacked on three more unearned runs thanks to a pair of errors.
Swift had two of SFA’s 12 hits – all singles – while teammate Cermodrick Bland delivered the biggest swing in the five-run seventh – a two-run single that snapped a 1-all tie.
The series concludes with a 1:05 p.m. first pitch Sunday. Right-hander Trent Hillen (6-1, 3.51) takes the mound for Northwestern while Stephen F. Austin has yet to announce its starting pitcher.
Stephen F. Austin 8, Northwestern State 1
NSU 000 010 000 – 1 4 3
SFA 000 000 53x – 8 12 1
W – Cody Templeton (4-4). L – Tyler Bryan (1-6). Highlights: SFA, Cermodrick Bland 2-4, 3 RBIs; Mark Henning 2-4; Julian Swift 2-4.
Records: Northwestern State 26-18, 16-10; Stephen F. Austin 12-29, 4-19.
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