TUCSON, Ariz. – Given a chance to fold after surrendering an early three-run lead against Arizona, the Northwestern State baseball team tightened things up Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.
 
Adam Oller settled in after a tough-luck second inning to spin a quality start and the Demons systematically pulled ahead before holding on for a 6-4 win on the first day of the Arizona Wildcat Invitational.
 
After allowing three unearned runs in the second inning, Oller (1-0) locked down the Wildcats (5-4), allowing just a sixth-inning run in his final four innings of work to earn his 13^th career victory.
 
Oller scattered three hits and shook off four walks, allowing one earned run in six innings to grab the victory.
 
"I thought they did a tremendous job laying off his breaking ball, fouling pitches off and making him work," fourth-year head coach Lane Burroughs said. "He had a couple of real, real stressful innings that got his pitch count up. If we dominate a couple of average plays, I think it could have been 6-0. He gutted it out, and I'm really proud of him, Devin Bear and Nathan Jones for holding a really, really good hitting team at bay."
 
While Oller moved into ninth place on the Demons all-time innings pitched list (218 1-3), Jones notched the first save of his career with two scoreless innings.
 
Jones and Bear combined for three scoreless innings of relief as Northwestern State (4-4) grabbed its third straight win against a Power Five conference foe dating to May 2015 when it won the final two games of a three-game series at Notre Dame.
 
"We didn't hesitate to go back to Nathan Jones," Burroughs said. "These young guys have to be allowed to fail, and some of them saw failure for the first time in their college careers last weekend. That's going to make them good players for us. Coach (Bobby) Barbier and I talked about it. It was going to be Devin to get the left-handers out and then go to Nathan Jones. It was good to see him bounce back. He made some big-time pitches."
 
Jones had a lead to protect because of timely hitting, something that eluded the Demons in the first seven games.
 
Daniel Garner started his three-hit night with a two-out RBI single in the first that scored Nick Heath, who led off with a bunt single and stole second base. Heath swiped two bases in the game, moving him into a tie for 10^th place on the Demons all-time list with Cary Collins.
 
"It's not about stealing bases with Nick," Burroughs said. "He puts pressure on the defense. They have to pick multiple times, and now everyone's aware. He's going to run and put pressure on you. It adds stress to the defense."
 
Heath was at it again in the fourth inning.
 
The Demons center fielder was hit by a pitch with two outs and took second when on a Robby Medel (0-2) balk.
 
Bret Underwood shot an RBI single to left field to score Heath and put the Demons ahead to stay. NSU grew its lead on another two-out RBI hit, a Spencer Goodwin double in the fifth. Cort Brinson, who moved into 10^th place on the NSU all-time hits chart with 181, delivered the final run with a sixth-inning RBI single.
 
Matt Valdez' first career home run, a two-run shot in the second inning, gave NSU a 3-0 lead before Arizona took advantage of the Demons' defensive miscues to tie the game in the second.
 
The Demons continue play in the three-day tournament at 11 a.m. Saturday when they face St. Mary's. Evan Tidwell (0-1, 9.00) will get the start for NSU against the Gaels, who defeated CSU Bakersfield, 10-7, on Friday.
 Northwestern State       120 111 000 – 6 11 3
Arizona 030 001 000 – 4 4 3
W – Adam Oller (1-0). L – Robby Medel (0-2). S – Nathan Jones (1). 2B – NSU, Daniel Garner, Spencer Goodwin. HR – NSU, Matt Valdez (1). Highlights: NSU, Bret Underwood 2-5, RBI; Cort Brinson 2-5, RBI; Garner 3-4, 2B, RBI.
Records: Northwestern State 4-4, Arizona 5-4.