LAKE CHARLES – The Northwestern State baseball team waited a little too late to solve another McNeese reliever Sunday afternoon.
 
Zach Rider threw 4 1-3 innings of one-run ball against the Demons, whose ninth-inning rally fell just short, allowing the homestanding Cowboys to grab a 4-3 Southland Conference series-clinching win at Joe Miller Ballpark.
 
Northwestern State (21-18, 9-9) jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-out rally that began with Luke Watson's bunt single. Watson scored on an RBI triple by Tyler Smith, who later scored on a Tyler Wesley wild pitch.
 
"I thought we could have had six in the first two innings the way we swung the bats," second-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "We hit the ball hard. That's hard to maintain that the entire game. We didn't have much luck today. Even in the last inning, the ball Austin (Townsend) hit and the two balls Dave (Fry) hit against the wind blowing in. It was a tough day."
 
While the Demons slowed after the first inning, the Cowboys (19-21, 14-7) methodically recovered from the early hole.
 
Carson Maxwell's solo home run in the first inning got McNeese going before NSU's Nathan Jones (2-4) settled in.
 
After Jones settled in and strung together a couple of scoreless innings, the Demons' defense sputtered in the fourth inning when McNeese took the lead on a bases-loaded walk to Brett Whelton.
 
Whelton's walk came one batter after the Cowboys tied the game on Northwestern State's second error of the game and sixth of the series.
 
Jones limited the damage in the inning and spun his third straight quality start, allowing four runs (three earned) in 6 1-3 innings. It was the eighth straight quality start in Southland play for the Demons starting staff.
 
"Nathan was really good on the mound," Barbier said. "He fought through the madness of the fourth inning where we made some mistakes behind him. To win games against good teams on the road, when you don't have great fortune, you've got to make plays, and we didn't make those plays, which hurts."
 
Trailing by one, the Demons got a leadoff walk from Sam Taylor in the fifth that ended McNeese starter Tyler Wesley's day. Rider entered and, after a first-pitch single by Kwan Adkins, scattered three more hits before leaving with two on and one out in the ninth inning.
 
Rider (2-1) earned the win after allowing one run in 4 1-3 innings, striking out four without issuing a walk.
 
"He obviously gave us some trouble," Barbier said. "We've got to figure out how to do better against those guys. We've got to limit (strikeouts) and do a better job with two strikes."
 
The Demons put together a ninth-inning rally against a fading Rider as Peyton Davis worked a full count before hitting a leadoff infield single. Townsend followed by extending Rider to a full count before lining out hard to right field.
 
Rider hit pinch hitter J.P. Lagreco with a pitch before throwing a ball to Taylor and exiting in favor of Peyton McLemore, who ran the count full before Taylor lined an RBI double to left field.
 
McLemore recovered to strike out the final two Demons to secure his first save.
 
"I'm proud of the fight we showed," Barbier said.
 
Kwan Adkins and Lenni Kunert each went 2-for-4 for NSU, which managed just eight hits off three McNeese pitchers. Maxwell, Joe Provenzano and Jake Cochran each went 2-for-4 for McNeese.
 
The Demons return to action Tuesday when they start a two-game, mid-week series with Mississippi Valley State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. as Northwestern State opens a five-game homestand.
 
McNeese 4, Northwestern State 3
NSU       200 000 001 – 3 8 2
MSU      100 100 10x – 4 9 0
W – Zach Rider (2-1). L – Nathan Jones (2-4). S – Peyton McLemore (1). 2B – NSU, Sam Taylor. 3B – NSU, Tyler Smith. HR – MSU, Carson Maxwell (4). Highlights: NSU, Kwan Adkins 2-3; Lenni Kunert 2-3; Taylor 2B, RBI. MSU, Carson Maxwell 2-4, HR, RBI; Joe Provenzano 2-3; Jake Cochran 2-3.
Records: Northwestern State 21-18, 9-9; McNeese 19-21, 14-7.