NATCHITOCHES – Cort Brinson and Matthew Alford each launched seventh inning home runs as part of a three-run frame but the Demons could not slow down Sam Houston State's stout offense and Northwestern State baseball fell, 9-3 in the series finale at Brown-Stroud Field on Sunday.

Sam Houston pounded out four runs behind five hits in the second inning, proving to be the difference. The 17 total Bearkat hits tied a season high.

"I give Sam Houston a lot of credit," third-year head baseball coach Lane Burroughs said. "We just didn't get off to a good start. We had the rough four-run inning there. The tough thing to swallow in that inning is they didn't get a lot of hard contact. Jeff (Stovall) was throwing good but they found holes and ours didn't."

The loss was NSU's (11-9, 5-1 Southland) first in conference play after securing the series on Saturday with two wins against Sam Houston. The Bearkats improved to 9-11 overall and 4-2 in league play.

Sam Houston added two runs in the sixth. After Spence Rahm led off the inning with a single, Jake MacWilliam doubled down the left field line to give the Bearkats a 5-0 lead. Two batters later, the nine-hitter Alfred Manning brought home MacWilliam on a single to center.

Five NSU pitchers saw action including Demon starter Jeffrey Stovall. The right-hander drew the loss, tossing 5 1-3 innings, allowing 11 hits and six runs while striking out one. Devin Bear made his first appearance of the season, tossing one inning, giving up one hit and striking out another.

Bearkats starter Ryan Brinley earned his first win of the season, throwing five innings and allowing two hits while holding the Demons scoreless. Rahm and MacWilliam each accounted for two RBIs producing 3-for-5 and 2-for-4 days respectively.

"I told our guys, 'if you tell me we're going to be 5-1 after the first two weekends, I would take it,'" Burroughs said. "I want them to leave this ballpark today with a positive feeling. We would have loved to have had the sweep but it's a long season and I think we're in first place in the Southland so we'll take it and keep moving forward."

NSU's two seventh inning home runs brought its total to six in the last two games after hitting just four long balls through its previous 18 outings. The Demons have gone deep in three of its last four games.

"Our guys been working extremely hard on their own, with the coaches and as a team," Burroughs said. "I think all the hard work is paying dividends. We're taking good swings and having quality at bats. Even though we didn't have a lot of hits today, I thought we had some quality at bats."

Northwestern State returns to play on Friday when the Demons hit the road for a three-game series against Stephen F. Austin. First pitch in the opener is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Jaycees Field. The Saturday matchup is slated for 2 p.m. and the Sunday finale is at one o'clock.

Sam Houston State 9, Northwestern State 3
Sam Houston               040 002 300 – 9 17 1
Northwestern State       000 000 300 – 3 7 0
W – Ryan Brinley (1-2). L – Jeffrey Stoval (2-2). 2B – SHSU, Bryce Johnson; Jake MacWilliam; Miles Manning. NSU, CJ Webster. HR – NSU, Cort Brinson (2). Matthew Alford (2). Highlights: SHSU, Spence Rahm 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBIs; MacWilliam 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBIs; Dylan Ebbs 2-4, 1 R. NSU, Daughdrill 2-4, 1 R; Alford 1-4, 1 R, 2 RBI.
Records: Sam Houston State 9-11, 4-2 SLC; Northwestern State 11-9, 5-1 SLC.