NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball team took a step forward during Saturday afternoon's doubleheader against Penn.
 
The Demons, however, are still looking to take that next step.
 
After Ridge Heisler turned in another strong start in an 8-2 win in the opener, Northwestern State was unable to complete the series sweep, falling 8-5 to the Quakers in the nightcap at windy Brown-Stroud Field.
 
"We keep learning," second-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "We talked about before the second game, being better than we were last weekend and taking advantage of a chance to sweep something, which is hard to do. Good teams can do that. They play well three days in a row, or three games in a row in this case."
 
In the opener, the Demons (4-3) took advantage of a favorable reversed call and rode Heisler's second strong outing in as many weekends to clinch the series victory.
 
Heisler (2-0) worked seven innings, allowing two runs (none earned) and striking out seven as he remained unbeaten in his Northwestern State career. Dan Hlad tossed two scoreless innings to close out the victory.
 
"I feel like it went a lot better than it did last week," said Heisler, who tossed five shutout innings against Binghamton one week ago. "The call did help a lot. I walked more people than I wanted to. Obviously, no one ever wants to walk anyone."
 
The two runs Heisler allowed came after the Demons took a 2-0 first-inning lead against Penn right-hander Christian Scafidi (0-1). Matt McGeagh homered two batters after an error by Chaney Dodge allowed a runner to reach base.
 
Dodge recovered nicely, starting a pair of inning-ending double plays in the next two innings to back Heisler, who settled in and ratted off five straight scoreless innings.
 
"That's nice, knowing no matter how they get on, there's always a way to get out of it," Heisler said. "Chaney, with the error, all I told him was, 'We've got your back and you're getting another here pretty soon.'"
 
After McGeagh's home run, the Demons regained the lead on a memorable first career home run by J.P. Lagreco.
 
With one out in the third inning, Lagreco jumped the first pitch from Scafidi and launched it toward the left-field corner through a 22 mph wind blowing from right field to left. The wind pushed the ball toward the foul pole and the initial call was a foul ball.
 
After the umpires convened, the call was overturned and Northwestern State never trailed again.
 
As Heisler was rolling along, Scafiid settled in and kept the game close until the Demons broke it open with a three-run seventh inning, highlighted by a bases-loaded, two-run single by Tyler Smith off left-handed reliever Brendan Bean.
 
"Tyler's too good of a player to not come around," Barbier said of the sophomore outfielder who battled a slow start to the season before going 3-for-8 with a home run and four RBIs in the two games Saturday.
 
"He's going to come around. It's just a matter of time. He did a really good job left on left of getting the big two-run knock and of course the homer to get us going in the second game."
 
The nightcap was a pitchers' duel through the first five innings as Demons freshman right-hander Robert Burke matched up against savvy Penn left-hander Jack Hartman (1-0).
 
The game was scoreless until the fifth when Penn strung together three straight two-out singles off Burke in the fifth to produce the game's first run.
 
Smith answered in the bottom of the inning with his first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field.
 
"It was just about getting my timing down," Smith said. "I just stayed patient. Coach is always talking about get your pitch and drive it and I did."
 
After Smith's home run, it was the Quakers' turn to have a big inning as Penn (1-2) put five sixth-inning runs to take a 6-1 lead.
 
Reed Michel (0-1) took the brunt of the big inning, allowing four runs in 2-3 innings.
 
Down 7-1 in the seventh, the Demons got a jolt from Kelsey Richard, who connected on a two-run home run off Hartman to cut the lead to 7-3. After the Quakers (1-2) added another run in the eighth inning, the Demons went into the ninth trailing by five.
 
After Grant Guillory retired the first two Demons, pinch-hitter Lenni Kunert and Luke Watson singled before Kwan Adkins brought both runners home with an opposite-field, two-run double.
 
Austin Stegall was hit by a pitch and Caleb Ricca walked to load the bases before Guillory got David Fry to pop out in foul territory to end the game.
 
"We showed a lot of fight to get back into it, but it's like I told them, what if we had those at-bats all game long?" Barbier said. "What would the score be then? We're learning how to compete throughout the game."
 
The Demons return to action Tuesday night when they open a nine-game road trip with a 6 p.m. matchup at Louisiana Tech.
 
Northwestern State 8-5, Penn 2-8
Game 1
Penn    020 000 000 – 2 5 0
NSU     201 100 31x – 8 12 1
W – Ridge Heisler (2-0). L – Christian Scafidi (0-1). 2B – Penn, Peter Matt. NSU, Austin Stegall, David Fry, tyler Smith, Chaney Dodge. HR – Penn, Matt McGeagh (1). NSU, J.P. Lagreco (1). Highlights: Penn, McGeagh HR, 2 RBIs; Matt 2-2, 2B. NSU, Stegall 3-5, 2B; Fry 2B, 2 RBIs; Lagreco 2-4, HR, RBI; Smith 2-4, 2B, 3 RBIs; Kwan Adkins 2-3, RBI.
 
Game 2
Penn    000 015 110 – 8 12 0
NSU     000 010 202 – 5 9 2
W – Jack Hartman (1-0). L – Reed Michel (0-1). 2B – Penn, Sean Phelan, Matt McGeagh. NSU, Chaney Dodge, Kwan Adkins. HR – NSU, Tyler Smith (1). Kelsey Richard (2). Highlights: Penn, Phelan 2-5, 2B, 2 RBIs; McGeagh 2-4, 2B, RBI; Matt Tola 3-5. NSU, Richard HR, 2 RBIs; Adkins 2-3, 2B, 2 RBIs.
Records: Penn 1-2; Northwestern State 4-3.