SAN ANTONIO – Pitching wasn't a factor here Saturday afternoon between Northwestern State and Texas-San Antonio as both teams combined to score 37 runs on 47 hits but it would be the Demons who would come out on top, 20-17, and take their second straight Southland Conference baseball series.

The 20 runs were the most scored since plating 21 against Grambling back on March 5, 2008 and the 26 hits were just two off the single-game school record and the second most in Demon baseball history.

And with the win, the Demons (7-11, 4-1 SLC) have moved into sole possession of first place in the league standings.  UTSA fell to 9-10 overall and 1-4 in the Southland.

“The bottom line is we just flat out competed today,” said head coach J.P. Davis.  “Offensively, our position guys stuck with it and kept swinging the bat.  They (UTSA) had their big inning and then we had ours.  We hung in there.  No lead is safe at this park.”
All but one player in the lineup got a hit for the Demons as eight players recorded two or more hits.

Left fielder Will Watson joined designated hitter Colin Bear with four hits to pace the team.  Bear also knocked in five runs and had a solo home run in the sixth inning that tied the game at 14-14.

First baseman Nick Hinojos had the game's biggest hit when he smashed a grand slam to help spark a nine-run fourth inning that saw the Demons climb back from a 12-4 deficit to take a 13-12 lead after the frame.

Zach Winchester, the fifth of six NSU pitchers to see the mound, picked up the win to run his record to 2-0 on the season after he threw two-thirds of an inning of scoreless ball with allowing one hit.  Mason Melotakis notched his third save of the game after he threw three innings and gave up one run, a solo homer with two down in the ninth inning.  He also struckout three batters.

Jacob Roark got the start for NSU and was pulled after he gave up five runs on four hits in 1.1 innings.  Jamie Bittle and Austin Robson followed and gave up a combined seven runs on eight hits in one inning, but the outing of Andrew Adams provided Davis to ease off on his bullpen.

“There were some lead changes but we kept fighting back,” said Davis.  “(Andrew) Adams came in and gave us three innings and that was huge.  He getting us those three allowed us to go to Melo, which we wanted to do.  He came in and threw the ball well.

“We got the lead there late and we didn't settle,” said Davis.  “I'm real proud of the way we kept battling and never let up.”

The Demons got on the board first after Jordan Buckley reached on a one-out single and scored on a two-out double by Hinojos.  UTSA went on top 2-1 with a two spot in the bottom of the inning but the Demon retook the lead in the top of the second on a RBI single by Bear, who later scored on Roadrunner throw to make it 3-2.

UTSA went up 5-3 with three runs in the second that were ignited by a lead off solo home run by James.

NSU pulled to within 5-4 after Buckley led off the third with a double and scored on a two out single by Watson.  The Roadrunners followed that with seven runs in the third to put them up 12-4.

But in the fourth, NSU mounted a one-out rally that was started by a base on balls to Ray Frias.  After Mitch Huckabay lined out to shortstop for the second out of the inning, the flood gates opened for the Demons as Drew Helenihi got a single through the right side followed by back-to-back walks to Buckley and Nick Purdy that scored Frias and cut the deficit to 12-5.  Hinojos came up and belted his first career grand slam to make it 12-9 but the scoring didn't stop there.

Watson, Ryan Westbrook and Bear got three straight singles to score another run and make it 12-10.  A RBI single by Frias was followed by a RBI hit up the middle by pinch-hitter Matt Baca to give the Demons a 13-12 lead before UTSA was able to get out of the inning.

The Roadrunners added a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 13-all then retook the lead with a run in the fifth on a RBI single to give them a 14-13 lead.

That lead would be short-lived after Bear knocked his first homer of the season with a lead-off solo home run in the sixth inning and Frias got a hit through the left side and scored on a pass ball to put NSU back on top at 15-14.

UTSA added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 16-15 but the Demons went up for good with three runs in the top of the seventh off a two-run double by Bear and a RBI single from Frias to put them up 18-16 as the game recorded its ninth lead change.

UTSA was held without a run in both the seventh and eighth innings and the Demons scored two more in the top of the ninth on RBI singles by Westbrook and Matt Burns, who entered the game in the fifth inning and the Roadrunners got a run in the bottom of the inning off a solo home run.

UTSA used five pitchers in the game as Clint Sharp, the third in the rotation, took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the season.  Sharp gave up five runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings.  Starting pitcher Justin Anderson threw 3.2 innings and allowed nine runs on nine hits.

The Demons will go for the sweep on Sunday at 1 when Jacob Williford takes the mound.