By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Gary Hardamon, NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – Winning in different ways is something second-year head coach Chris Bertrand wanted to see from his Northwestern State baseball team.
The Demons did just that Wednesday night utilizing four sacrifice flies and a few timely hits to grab a 10-5 win against Alcorn at Brown-Stroud Field.
“This is one of those wins that, from the top down including me, requires maturity and perspective and a balance of your thoughts and emotions,” Bertrand said. “There’s a part of us that says, ‘That’s a couple of wins in a row, and we’ve done some great things.’ We’re always going to be a program that wants to pull the positives out of it, and we want to stay upbeat going into conference play and be proud of it. The other side is the balance where we know some of our execution was not the best baseball earlier in the ballgame.”
The Demons (4-4) executed well enough early to take a 2-0 lead through two innings before the Braves (0-6) solved Northwestern starter Brandon Carter.
Carter struck out five of the first batters he faced across two scoreless innings before Jeremiah Farmer battled his way to a leadoff walk in the third inning that set the table for a four-run Alcorn rally.
Much like it did in Tuesday night’s win against Southern-New Orleans, the Demon pitching staff settled down.
It began with Adam Alexis (1-0) working a perfect fourth inning that put the Northwestern offense in position to strike back and give the Demons the lead for good.
Fittingly, it was Rocco Gump who delivered the go-ahead hit.
Gump’s two-run single in the fourth inning snapped a 4-all tie and gave him 10 RBIs in his past four games. Gump punched a 3-0 pitch from Jacobe Nailer (0-1) to right field to score Reese Lipoma and Samuel Stephenson, who combined to reach base eight times and scored six combined runs.
“It takes a lot of pressure off me having them in front of me and Braden (Benton) behind me,” Gump said. “It allows me to go out there and do my thing.”
Benton was one of two Demons who did an uncommon thing Wednesday night.
On a calm night where the ball did not carry, Benton and Bryce Johnson each had two sacrifice flies – a feat that had not been accomplished by a Demon hitter since Cort Brinson against Louisiana Tech on March 11, 2015.
While the Demons’ execution may have been lacking early, the defense stood up late.
For the second straight game, freshman second baseman Hudson Brignac, a former Benton standout, made a heady play on a deflected ball.
After turning a deflection into a 3-4-1 putout Tuesday, Brignac ended the seventh inning Wednesday night by rerouting himself after Conner Bivins deflected a grounder off Jaylon Burrell’s bat to Brignac’s left.
Having started to his right, Brignac pivoted to smother the ball and throw out the speedy Burrell by a half step and keep the Demons’ lead at three.
“They’re up there,” Brignac said of where the plays rank on his personal highlight reel. “It’s been a lot of fun getting the opportunities I’ve gotten.”
Brignac also showed he could handle the bat, driving in the second run of the game off Alcorn starter Myles Dews with a line-drive single to center in the second inning.
Despite his classification, Brignac has fit right in with a team that flashed its mature side Wednesday night.
“All we do is compete with each other whether it’s in the weight room or in practice,” Brignac said. “That’s all we’re doing. It makes everyone around us better. It’s a blast. We really are mature throughout whatever we do. Packing. Getting on the bus. Every little thing means something, and we’re good with that.”
The Demons return to action Friday when they open Southland Conference play at Southeastern Louisiana. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Stadium.
Northwestern State 10, Alcorn 5
ALC 004 010 000 – 5 5 3
NSU 112 202 02x – 10 7 1
W – Adam Alexis (1-0). L – Jacobe Nailer (0-1). 2B – ALC, Reyfield Adams III, Kalum Banks 2. NSU, Mason Wray. Highlights: ALC, Adams 2-3, 2B, 2 RBIs. NSU, Reese Lipoma 2-4; Wray 2-4, 2B, 2 RBIs.
Records: Alcorn 0-6; Northwestern State 4-4
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