By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications; featured photo b Chris NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball team has a goal of being lifelong learners.
In Sunday afternoon’s series finale of their first Southland Conference home series of the 2025 season, the Demons chalked up a few more lessons en route to a 5-4 victory against visiting Incarnate Word that completed a three-game sweep at Brown-Stroud Field.
“That was like a Mike Rowe ‘Dirty Jobs’ win,” second-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “That was the dirtiest thing you can imagine. We know we didn’t play the cleanest baseball, and we didn’t play up to the standard as far as execution. However, there is always a lesson to be learned, and we learned how to sweep someone. We learned how to stay in the fight even though some things weren’t going our way.”
What kept things from going the Demons’ way early was UIW left-hander Jackson Elizondo and his curveball.
Elizondo, a sophomore transfer from Baylor, utilized his breaking ball to effectively keep Northwestern (8-7, 3-3) off balance for the better part of six innings.
Elizondo (1-2) made a first-inning run stand up through three innings before the Demons began making enough adjustments to break through.
Daniel Burroway cashed in the Demons’ first run, singling home Rocco Gump, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning.
An inning later, Samuel Stephenson gave Northwestern the lead for good with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.
“He kept us off balance, and he kept moving the baseball around,” Bertrand said of Elizondo, who worked six innings of two-run ball while dancing around six walks and a pair of hit batters.
The Demons’ well-timed execution continued in the seventh after Trent Hillen (2-1), Carter White, Adam Alexis and former Hsughton star Austin Anderson kept it a 2-1 game.
With one out, Samuel Stephenson was hit by a pitch from reliever Bruno Robles. Two batters later, with Braden Benton at the plate, Stephenson stole second on a 1-2 pitch.
One pitch later, Benton shot a single back up the middle to double the Demon lead and give Northwestern some breathing room.
“I saw it was a slider, which is all he threw that at-bat,” Benton said. “I stayed on it and sent it up the middle. (Stephenson’s steal) means a single scores a run instead of a single going first to third. That was huge. Sam did a great job there.”
Northwestern tacked on two runs in the eighth on a Rocco Gump single – a hit that loomed large in the ninth.
After strong performances from Hillen, White, Alexis, Anderson and freshman Jacob LeBlanc limited the Cardinals (8-7, 0-6) to one run and three hits through eight innings, UIW put together a one-out rally that had the Demon fans clutching whatever they could.
Bryce Leonard struck out the first batter of the ninth before back-to-back singles and a wild pitch scored a run. Rob Liddington’s first-pitch home run to right field made it a one-run game before Leonard fanned Ryder Hernandez for the second out.
Kegan Magee, hitting for the first time in the series, lined a triple down the right-field line to put the tying run at third with two outs.
Leonard and Cameron Crotte engaged in a nine-pitch battle that included six foul balls before Leonard blew an elevated fastball by Crotte to seal the win.
“A testament to the values of the program and a testament to (pitching coach) Dan (Hlad) and Joe (Craighead) and Dawson (Flowers) and the work they put in,” Bertrand said. “That pitching was amazing. The way Trent settled down and then the bullpen. The values of the program – earn everything, hard work, development and growth – I’m the proudest guy in the world of the team I get to coach and the men I get to lead.”
The Demons continue their season-long six-game homestand Tuesday night against Grambling. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Brown-Stroud Field.
Northwestern State 5, UIW 4
UIW 100 000 003 – 4 9 0
NSU 000 110 12x – 5 7 2
W – Trent Hillen (2-1). L – Jackson Elizondo (1-2). 2B – UIW, Rey Mendoza. 3B – UIW, Kegan Magee. HR – UIW, Rob Liddington Jr. (7). Highlights: UIW, Daniel Calabrese 3-5, RBI; Liddington Jr. 2-5, HR, 2 RBIs; Mendoza 2-4, 2B. NSU, Daniel Burroway 2-5, RBI.
Records: UIW 8-7, 0-6; Northwestern State 8-7, 3-3.
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