Box Score NATCHITOCHES – A safety squeeze play with two outs by Edwin Gomez tied the game, and a pop fly error on the infield pushed across the game winner in the ninth inning of a 4-3 win for the Northwestern State baseball team over New Orleans Friday night at Brown-Stroud Field in Southland Conference action.
 
Nathan Lyons was on third base and C.J. Webster was on first for the Demons (28-21, 16-9 SLC) with two outs when Gomez noticed the UNO (11-33, 2-23) third baseman was playing back.
 
"He did that on his own.  Edwin is a very smart player, and I won't take credit for the bunt," said Demon head coach Lane Burroughs.  "He saw the third baseman was back, and he is very good at bunting for a hit.  It just worked out today."
 
Gomez, who graduated Friday morning, put a perfect bunt down the third base line on the first pitch he saw and beat the ball to first base.  Privateer starter Alex Smith (1-9) picked up the ball threw it wide on his attempt to get Gomez, and that allowed Webster to take third base. 
 
"I was surprised when I saw (the bunt), but we'll take it," said Burroughs. "I thought all of our seniors played well today.  Cameron Brewer pitched lights out and Nathan Lyons had some tremendous plays."
 
Bret Underwood drew a full-count walk, and Caleb Dugas hit a towering fly ball on the infield that fell out of Michael Cusimano's glove on the infield grass.
 
New Orleans held a 3-2 lead after they scored a run in the fifth inning, and it forced the Demons to put in senior right-hander Cameron Brewer (3-0), who faced only 10 batters in three innings pitched.  He earned the win, and struck out four batters and hit one with a pitch.
 
"That was the fourth straight time he has come in the game and been electric.  He is such a competitor," said Burroughs.  "You know when he comes in he will give you everything he's got.  He's got velocity, his breaking ball is working, and he knows this is his last weekend at Brown-Stroud."
 
Northwestern State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sacrifice fly to center field from Dugas that scored Underwood.  Underwood reached on a one-out triple to right center field.  After New Orleans made it 2-1 in the third inning, NSU answered with another sacrifice fly to center field in the fourth to make it 2-2.  Brinson, who reached on a throwing error, scored on Lyons sacrifice out.
 
The Privateers took the lead in the fifth inning when Dane Landry scored from third base on an error at the plate. Landry reached on four-pitch walk.
 
Adam Oller started the game for the Demons and worked six innings.  He allowed all three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks.  He struck out five of the 27 batters he faced.  UNO's Smith worked 8.2 innings and gave up four runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks.
 
"We tip our hits to Smith. He pitched his tail off," said Burroughs.  "He had us off-balance, he filled up the zone and kept the ball down."
 
Both teams combined for eight errors in the game.  UNO accounted for five and NSU had three.  The Demons outhit New Orleans 7-5. 
 
Nick Heath led the Demons at the plate with two hits in four at-bats.  Gomez, Underwood, Chase Daughdrill, Joel Atkinson and Webster all contributed one hit apiece. 
 
UNO's top three hits in the order had four of its five hits.  Cusimano had two hits, and Reese Kanter and Samuel Capielano each had one hit.
 
The Demons are two games away from clinching a spot into the Southland Conference Tournament, and losses by Central Arkansas and Houston Baptist can shrink that number.   The second game of the series with UNO is set for Saturday at 2:00 and the final game is slated for 1 o'clock on Sunday.