By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – Power and patience equaled another double-figure scoring game at home for the Northwestern State baseball team Tuesday night.
The Demons took advantage of wildness from the Southern-New Orleans bullpen, capitalizing on double-figure walks and hit by pitches to deliver a 14-3, seven-inning victory at Brown-Stroud Field.
“What I’m most proud of our team about is we have learned lessons from the first two weekends that we put into action,” said second-year head coach Chris Bertrand, whose team scored double-figure runs for the third straight home game. “What we learned from being successful against Central Arkansas we put to use tonight. What we learned from not being successful at Troy, we put to use tonight. I feel like our team played a very complementary brand of baseball, which we’ve been in search of, and I think they played a very complete ball game. In those seven innings, we did a lot of things well.”
Northwestern (3-4) used a balanced attack to bounce back from a three-game sweep at then-No. 24 Troy this past weekend.
The Demons drew 13 walks and two Samuel Stephenson hit by pitches and turned them into eight runs, helping stave off a game effort by the Knights, who were playing the game as an exhibition.
After Rocco Gump’s first-inning triple scored Stephenson following his first hit by pitch, the Knights scratched out a pair of runs off Demon starter Kevin Robinson (1-0).
The visitors’ lead did not last long as Stephenson drilled a tie-breaking three-run home run to left field in the bottom half of the second.
It was one of two run-scoring hits for Stephenson, who added a two-run single in a four-run fifth inning to finish with a career-high five RBIs.
“I was generally just thinking get a good pitch and not be too early,” Stephenson said. “Just stay through it. If I pull off it, I roll over it, so I may as well stay through it and hit a bomb.”
Stephenson’s second three-run home run of the year put the Demons ahead to stay although SUNO answered with a run off of Robinson in the third before the right-hander and three Demon relievers combined to shut out the Knights over the final four innings.
Included in that run of relievers was redshirt senior left-hander Corbin Talley, who worked a scoreless seventh inning in his first appearance since May 5, 2023. Talley missed the 2024 season with a knee injury and was unable to pitch until Tuesday because of a shoulder injury.
“It was kind of nerve-wracking and getting to me a little bit,” Talley said. “Taking a deep breath and relaxing and understanding all the hard work I’ve done the past two-and-a-half years, I got to use it. It worked out in my favor, and I can’t be more happy about that.”
Talley went out for the seventh armed with an 11-run lead that was built on an offense that touched up three SUNO relievers for four runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to give the Demons their second run-rule win at home this season.
Stephenson and Gump (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) finished with the only multi-hit games of the night for Northwestern, who saw Stephenson and leadoff hitter Reese Lipoma combine to score seven runs on a night where the Demons swiped seven bases.
“Sam’s a special athlete, a special player,” Bertrand said. “He has the skill set to play shortstop, and he’s showing that as he gets more comfortable in this system. He has the skill set to be our best two-hole hitter in our offense to drive that offense with him and Reese.”
The Demons cap a two-game homestand Wednesday night against Alcorn. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Northwestern State 14, Southern-New Orleans 3, 7 innings
SUNO 021 000 0 – 3 5 4
NSU 142 043 x – 14 8 1
W – Kevin Robinson (1-0). L – Chris Green. 2B – SUNO, Miles Bowens, Dylan Jimenez. NSU, Reese Lipoma, Balin Valentine. 3B – SUNO, Kyler Shepherd. NSU, Rocco Gump. HR – NSU, Samuel Stephenson (2). Highlights: SUNO, Miles Bowens 2-2, 2B. NSU, Stephenson 2-2, HR, 5 RBIs; Gump 2-4, 3B, 3 RBIs.
Records: SUNO 4-8; Northwestern State 3-4.
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