NATCHITOCHES – In the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader at Brown-Stroud Field, Josh Oller was coolly efficient, making quick work of visiting Sacred Heart.
 
The nightcap, however, was a different story.
 
Despite the two different approaches, Northwestern State came away with a doubleheader sweep of the visiting Pioneers when Chase Daughdrill smacked a walkoff single to right center field to give the Demons a 2-1, 16-inning victory in the nightcap.
 
In the opener, Oller fired a complete-game shutout, scattering three hits on 93 pitches.
 
"I'm proud of our guys for sweeping and for hanging in there that last game," third-year head coach Lane Burroughs said. "Our pitching was really, really good this weekend. Thirty-four innings we played against that club, and they scored two runs. Our pitchers were phenomenal."
 
Jeffrey Stovall followed Oller's lead from the first game by going nine innings, allowing one run and striking out eight in the second game. Stovall allowed a first-ininng run before he, Chase Hymel (4 1-3 innings), Brandon Smith (1 inning) and Brandon Stane (1 2-3 innings) blanked the Pioneers (0-3) the rest of the way.
 
However, Sacred Heart's Robbie Maguire and relievers James Cooksey (6 2-3 innings) and Alex Perry (2 innings) combined to keep the Demons (5-6) off the scoreboard from the fourth inning until the decisive 16^th inning.
 
The Demons managed to keep the Pioneers off the board despite Sacred Heart putting the leadoff runner on base in the final four innings. Stane (1-0) got out of the last two jams thanks to a pair of 6-4-3 double plays started by Joel Atkinson and turned by David Fry.
 
Fry ignited the game-winning rally with a leadoff single before being sacrificed to second by Bret Underwood. Cort Brinson singled to shallow center, allowing Fry to scamper to third base.
 
C.J. Webster then nubbed a bouncer back to pitcher Dan Wertz (0-1), who could not field the ball cleanly loading the bases.
 
"Offensively, we battled," Burroughs said. "I saw some things tonight I've never seen before. We have the go-ahead run at second base in the 16^th inning, get a single to center and can't score. Then we hit one back to the pitcher, and he misses it. You're sitting there saying, 'I think I'm seeing it all.'"
 
For the remaining members of the 416 fans who showed up Saturday, they saw the final act one batter after Webster, as Daughdrill fell behind in the count before drilling a long walkoff single into the right-center field alley.
 
"I just wanted to get a pitch up in the zone that I could lift into the outfield," said Daughdrill, who went 6-for-11 with a home run and four RBIs in the doubleheader sweep. "I didn't really care if it was a hit or not. I just wanted to get that run in so we could go to the house."
 
In the opener, Daughdrill's home run and Oller's pitching performance – which included 4 2-3 innings of no-hit ball to start the game – helped secure the Demons' first series win of the season.
Nearly five hours later, Daughdrill's base hit made sure the Demons' mentality was rewarded.
 
"It's always good to sweep somebody," Daughdrill said. "We talked about before the game about not being satisfied with just a series win, go out and sweep somebody. It's always good, especially in this fashion. We had a bunch of walkoff wins last year in this same kind of fashion. It's always good when you can finally have a big win like that."
 
The Demons return to action Tuesday when they host ULM at 6:30 p.m. NSU will head to Lafayette to face UL Lafayette on Wednesday before beginning Southland Conference play at Lamar next weekend.
 
 

Game 1
Northwestern State 5, Sacred Heart 0

SHU       000 000 000 – 0 3 1
NSU       001 003 01x – 5 8 1
W – Josh Oller (2-0). L – Jason Foley (0-1). 2B – SHU, P.J. DeFilippo; NSU, David Fry; Joel Atkinson. HR – NSU, Chase Daughdrill (2). Highlights: NSU, Daughdrill 3-4, 3 RBIs; Atkinson 2-3.
T – 2:00
 

Game 2
Northwestern State 2, Sacred Heart 1, 16 innings

SHU       100 000 000 000 000 0 – 1 10 2
NSU       000 100 000 000 000 1 – 2 10 1
W – Brandon Stane (1-0). L – Dan Wertz (0-1). 2B – SHU, Zack Short; NSU Chase Daughdrill 2. Highlights: SHU, Keith Klebart 2-7; Keaton Flint 2-6; NSU, Bret Underwood 2-6; Daughdrill 3-7, RBI.
T – 4:18. A – 416.
Records: Sacred Heart 0-3; Northwestern State 5-6.