By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
NEW ORLEANS – The Northwestern State baseball team had its opportunities to put Saturday afternoon’s Southland Conference game at New Orleans away early.
While the Demons were unable to do so, the homestanding Privateers converted one of their few chances, turning a three-run eighth inning into the difference in a 3-1 victory at Maestri Field.
“Fifteen runners left on base and us not being at our best in the game’s most critical moment,” second- year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We don’t want to let the moment get away from us without saying how good of a performance we think T.B. (starting pitcher Tyler Bryan) had. Any time your pitching staff puts up 16 consecutive zeroes – or if we go back to last Sunday, 25 consecutive zeroes in conference play – that’s incredible.
“We just have to cash in on the opportunities that we missed, and we need to be a little bit more at our best in the game’s most critical moments so as to force them to earn it a little bit more.”
Northwestern (13-9, 6-5) stranded 15 runners on base, including two runners in each of the first four innings, failing to convert on six walks from Privateer starter Skylar Jones in his four innings of work.
The Demons’ lone run came via a double steal with Balin Valentine swiping home in the fourth inning after a leadoff double and a wild pitch. It was Northwestern’s first steal of home since Nick Heath did so against Lamar on March 12, 2016.
Jones’ six walks were part of a New Orleans pitching staff that issued 11 free passes and hit three Demon batters. The five Privateer pitchers who worked Saturday, however, limited the Demons to a 1-for-17 mark with runners on base.
The lone hit Northwestern managed with a runner aboard came in the third inning when Clay Jung chopped a single up the middle to put runners at first and second with two outs.
Bryan, in his first full season as a starter, made the fourth-inning run stand up through a career-long 7 1-3 innings.
A junior from Beckville, Texas, Bryan struck out a career-high seven batters and had retired nine straight Privateers after getting Dalton Hurst to fly out to start the eighth inning.
That was the final out Bryan (1-3) recorded as Collin Loupe singled to right and Bryan hit Matt Gonzalez with a pitch before exiting the game. A wild pitch from reliever Carter White moved the runners up 90 feet before Brian Loriga grounded a double inside the third-base bag to score both runners and give the Privateers (12-9, 6-5) their first lead of the weekend.
Northwestern had multiple chances to extend the lead, stranding a man on third in the fifth and leaving the bases loaded in the sixth inning.
“I thought our at-bats were of a certain quality early in the game even though we weren’t seeing results,” Bertrand said. “You made a Saturday starter in conference play throw 98 pitches through four innings. It’s the lack of quality and the lack of competitiveness in innings five through nine whenever we were presented opportunities.
“I felt like we squandered those at-bats in a manner in which we kind of got dominated mentally and physically.”
The series concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday with a battle of right-handers. Trent Hillen (3-1, 3.38) takes the mound for the Demons against New Orleans’ Matthew Bienvenu (0-1, 7.08).
New Orleans 3, Northwestern State 1
NSU 000 100 000 – 1 3 0
UNO 000 000 03x – 3 6 0
W – Cole Syversen (3-0). L – Tyler Bryan (1-3). S – Bryce Calloway (5). 2B – NSU, Balin Valentine. UNO, Brian Loriga, Tristan Moore. Highlights: UNO, Loriga 2-4, 2B, 2 RBIs.
Records: Northwestern State 13-9, 6-5; New Orleans 12-9, 6-5.
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