By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations: featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
HAMMOND – The Northwestern State baseball team had its opportunities again to capture its first Southland Conference victory of the season Sunday afternoon.
Instead, the Demons saw a couple of miscues cost them as Southeastern Louisiana’s Conner O’Neal delivered a walk-off home run with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Lions to a 6-5 victory and a three-game sweep at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
“We’re still always really proud of the fight and the competitiveness our teams shows, but we discussed with them that we have to start to do some things within the course of ball games that are winning traits,” second-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We have to stop doing the things that lose baseball games or hand them away. Offensively, we had our chances in multiple innings, especially in the eighth, ninth and 10th to do some things, and we weren’t able to cash in.”
For the first time in the series, the Demons (4-7, 0-3) took a lead with a three-run third inning that Reese Lipoma started with a two-out single.
Two batters later, Rocco Gump’s RBI single gave Northwestern a 1-0 advantage that grew to three when Balin Valentine singled over leaping Southeastern shortstop TJ Salvaggio.
Junior right-hander Trent Hillen allowed a pair of doubles in the third inning but picked off Dane Watts to leave the bases empty with two outs before issuing a pair of walks to Ryan Brome and Salvaggio.
Samuel Stephenson then could not handle a high fly ball off O’Neal’s bat that turned into a game-tying error.
“The crooked number was two-out walk, two-out walk, error,” Bertrand said. “That doesn’t help things.”
Undaunted, the Demons battled back to take a 4-3 lead when Gump tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the fifth.
Hillen settled in after the three-run third and worked a career-long seven innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out seven. He exited the game trailing 5-4 before the Demons took advantage of another run-scoring wild pitch in the eighth.
The eighth could have been an even bigger inning for the Demons, who could not convert two-out walks to Balin Valentine and Daniel Burroway.
After leaving 12 men on base in Saturday’s game, Northwestern stranded seven Sunday, including four in the final three innings. Three of those were in scoring position.
In the ninth, the Demons had a runner on second with one out before Brady St. Pierre (1-0) came in from the bullpen and struck out the next two hitters.
In the 10th, Valentine drew a two-out walk and stole second before another strikeout ended the threat.
The Demons nearly escaped trouble in the 10thas Conner Bivins (0-1) induced a 5-4-3 double play to erase a leadoff hit by pitch before O’Neal turned on a 3-1 pitch and lifted it out to right-center field to complete the sweep.
“Opening weekend (of conference play), we are well aware of the importance of not being satisfied with the results, but we can either let it define us or we can come out and rewrite the story by learning from what took place over three games and putting it to use in all of our future ball games,” Bertrand said.
Gump finished a home run shy of the cycle, posting his second straight three-hit day, while Stephenson went 2-for-4 with a double for the Demons.
Northwestern returns to action Tuesday night when it hosts LeTourneau to start a six-game homestand. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Brown-Stroud Field.
Southeastern Louisiana 6, Northwestern State 5, 10 innings
NSU 003 010 010 0 – 5 7 1
SLU 003 001 100 1 – 6 7 0
W –- Brady St. Pierre (1-0). L – Conner Bivins (0-1). 2B – NSU, Samuel Stephenson, Rocco Gump. SLU, Ben Robichaux, Dane Watts. 3B – NSU, Rocco Gump. HR – SLU, Conner O’Neal 2 (4).
Records: Northwestern State 4-7, 0-3; Southeastern Louisiana 10-2, 3-0.
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