Box Score
NATCHITOCHES -- Brandon Smith inherited a bases loaded with no out jam, stuck out the side and gave the Northwestern State baseball team a 6-2 win Friday night in Southland Conference action at Brown-Stroud Field.
 
The second and third games of the series are slated for Saturday after both teams elected to move Sunday's game up due to impending weather.  The doubleheader will start at 2 o'clock.
 
With a four-run lead, NSU (23-19, 11-8 SLC) put Bears on every base to start the ninth before junior-transfer Brandon Smith was called from the bullpen. He struck out Carson Dowdle swinging on a 2-2 count, Chris Townsend swinging on a 2-2 count and Nate Ferrell swinging on a 1-2 count.
 
"Brandon came in with a mess, and they don't cross home plate.  That showed some courage," said Demon head coach Lane Burroughs. "That is a stressful situation, and he has never been in a situation like that.  He made great pitches, had good stuff, and filled the strike zone."
 
Central Arkansas fell to 22-17 on the season and 10-9 in conference play.  UCA is now in a tie for seventh place, one game behind a three-way to for fourth place with Sam Houston State, McNeese State and the Demons.
 
Adam Oller (5-0) earned the win and allowed only two runs on nine hits and one walk in his start.  He stuck out six batters with 118 pitches thrown.
 
"He battled.  He didn't like the way he was coming out of his windup, and made an in-game adjustment," said Burroughs.  "Once he did that, he was back to what being his normal self. He just got his pitch count up, so we had to get him out of there."
 
Northwestern State opened the game up in the first inning on a sacrifice fly to center field from Cort Brinson that scored Edwin Gomez. Gomez led off the frame with a single to center field.
 
UCA tied it in the third inning on a home run from Carson Dowdle, but NSU took the lead again in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly to left field from Caleb Dugas that also scored Gomez, who led off the inning with a double to right center.
 
Left fielder Cort Brinson was pulled from the game after he was injured on his attempt to catch Dowdle's homer.
 
"We lost Brinson, have other players out with sickness.  The team showed toughness and courage with guys playing out of position," said Burroughs. "I am proud of them for getting the win tonight, especially after losing Cort."
 
The Bears tied the game again in the fourth inning, but NSU responded with two runs in the bottom of that frame and would not surrender it for the rest of the game.
 
Daughdrill was hit by the first pitch he saw in the fourth frame, and took second base on a bouncing single to shortstop from Nathan Lyons.  Both runners advanced on a balk, and Daughdrill scored on a fielder's choice by Nick Heath that caught Lyons out at third base. 
 
Heath stole second and advanced to third on an error from the catcher attempting to get him at second.  He scored on a Garrett Logan's single up the middle.
 
"Garrett Logan had two huge two-out RBIs tonight.  Those were big," said Burroughs.  "When you get two out runs, it cripples the other team.
 
"We just kept answering them.  Every time they scored we would answer," he said.  "The difference was in the fourth when they tied the game and we came back with a two-spot."
 
NSU added insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth and eighth inning.  Logan knocked in Heath in the sixth on a single through the right side, and Gomez knocked in Heath on a single to third base.
 
Joey Parrack relieved Oller on the mound, and took over in the eighth inning with Bears on second and third and one out. He struck out Scott Zimmerle and forced Justin Treece into a groundout on a spectacular play by Joel Atkinson.
 
Bryce Biggerstaff (3-5) took the loss on seven innings pitched and five runs allowed.  He gave up 11 hits and one walk. Jon Rand pitched the final inning and allowed one run, unearned, on one hit.
 
Gomez was 4-of-5 at the plate with two runs scored and one knocked in. Logan had two base knocks in four tries with two runs batted in.  Heath was 1-of-3 with three runs scored.
 
All but two Demons that had an official at-bat, earned a base knock.  They outhit the Bears 12-10, and had five errors in the game.