Box Score MONROE – Daniel Garner has hit plenty of balls hard this season, but had yet to be rewarded with the first home run of his Northwestern State career.
 
That changed Wednesday night, and it could not have come at a better time for both Garner and the Demons.
 
Garner's two-run home run snapped a fifth-inning tie, highlighting a three-run inning in Northwestern State's rain-shortened 6-2 victory at Warhawk Field. The game was called in the top of the sixth inning after a xx-minute lightning/rain delay.
 
Garner took a 2-1 pitch from ULM starter Cole Hendrix over the left-center field wall to snap a 2-all tie and lift the Demons (14-11) to their third straight victory.
 
A night after NSU tallied 11 runs on 14 hits, Hendrix (0-1) held the Demons off balance for the first four-plus innings, allowing just three hits and one run.
 
However, his control failed him, allowing Spencer Goodwin to score the tying run on a two-out wild pitch before Garner unleashed a towering shot about 15 feet to the left-field side of the batter's eye in center field.
 
The three-run rally made a winner of Tim Winders (1-2), who allowed a pair of runs in the second inning before tossing two more scoreless innings to earn his first collegiate win.
 
ULM (10-15) got to Winders by stringing together four straight one-out hits in the fourth inning. Cody Stone started things with a single to center before Brian Barefoot doubled to right field, putting runners at second and third.
 
Dalton Todd chopped Winders' first pitch over third base for a two-run double that gave ULM its first lead against the Demons since the second inning of Tuesday's game.
 
The Demons answered with an unearned run in the third inning. Goodwin led off with NSU's first hit of the game, stole second and took third on a throwing error by Todd, the ULM catcher.
 
Nick Heath scored Goodwin with an RBI groundout to shortstop.
 
Goodwin led NSU with a 3-for-3 performance, accounting for half of NSU's hits. Barefoot had a pair of doubles, going 2-for-2 for the Warhawks.
 
Northwestern State returns to action when it heads to McNeese State on Friday to open a three-game Southland Conference series. First pitch for the series opener is set for 6 p.m. at Cowboy Diamond.
 NSU       001 032 – 6 6 0
ULM      020 00x – 2 6 2
W – Tim Winders (1-2). L – Cole Hendrix (0-1). S – Austin Reich (1). 2B – NSU, Cort Brinson, Spencer Goodwin. ULM, Brian Barefoot 2, Dalton Todd. HR – NSU, Daniel Garner  (1). Highlights: NSU, Goodwin 3-3, RBI; Garner HR, 2 RBIs. ULM, Barefoot 2-2, 2 2Bs; Todd 2B, 2 RBIs.
Records: Northwestern State 14-11, ULM 10-15.