NATCHITOCHES – Look anywhere in the Northwestern State baseball record book and there is a chance the Demons threatened one of those marks Wednesday afternoon.
 
Less than 24 hours after topping the 20-run mark for the first time in six years, the Demons were even more effective offensively, rolling to a 34-0 win and a two-game sweep of Mississippi Valley State at Brown-Stroud Field.
 
"The game's crazy sometimes," second-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "They gave us some opportunities early, and we took advantage of it. We had some guys, especially some guys off the bench, come in and swing the bats well. It was good to see those guys get some good at-bats."
 
The good at-bats came early and often, following the trend established in Tuesday's 21-0 victory.
 
For the second straight game, Northwestern State (23-18) jumped to an early lead, this time a three-run advantage, after the first inning. Tyler Smith's two-run triple was the lone hit in the inning as NSU benefited from control issues by Delta Devils starter Sherrod Reed (0-2).
 
Reed lasted just two innings, allowing one hit but surrendering six runs (four earned), thanks in large part to four walks and defensive struggles behind him.
 
Once Mississippi Valley State (11-25) went to its bullpen, the Demons began to feast on fastballs.
 
Northwestern State tied the school single-game record with 28 hits while a pair of Demons equaled individual single-game records.
 
Kelsey Richard came off the bench in the fifth inning and went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two home runs to tie the single game mark of 12 total bases last accomplished by Chase Lyles at Tulane on March 3, 2009.
 
Caleb Ricca went 5-for-6 and scored six runs, tying the record set by Lyles against Southeastern Louisiana on May 16, 2009. Ricca and Richard combined to hit three of NSU's season-high six home runs, marking the first time the Demons had homered at least five times since an April 17, 2010, matchup with Texas-San Antonio.
 
"We had a lot of fastballs for everybody to hit today," said Richard, who hit both of his home runs in a nine-run eighth inning. "Guys put good swings on them throughout the lineup, throughout the day. It was the same thing they were doing yesterday, a lot of fastballs. Our plans didn't change throughout."
 
Cullen McDonald (2-0) tossed five shutout innings to earn his second straight victory while striking out a career high eight batters. McDonald scattered three hits and has not allowed a run in his past nine innings.
 
He turned the ball over to four relievers  -- Donovan Ohnoutka, Austin Reich, Reed Michel and Robert Burke – who completed the four-hit shutout as NSU blanked consecutive opponents for the first time since Feb. 27-28, 2009, against Houston Baptist.
 
While the bullpen was strong, so was the Demons offensive bench. Led by Richard's 4-for-4 afternoon, four Demons recorded multiple hits off the bench.
 
Larson Fontenot went 3-for-4 and was a single shy of the cycle after entering in the fourth inning. Between Fontenot and Lenni Kunert, the sixth spot in the Demons order went 5-for-7 with two home runs, two triples, a double, four runs scored and nine RBIs.
 
"The plan was the same – we were ready to hit," Kunert said. "Every hitter had the same mind-set and approach today. As the game progressed, it seemed like we didn't miss (a barrel).
 
"I was so proud of the guys off the bench. I was rooting for them the hardest. It's cool to see those guys come in and have success."
 
The Demons return to action Friday when they host Houston Baptist in the opener of a three-game Southland Conference series. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Brown-Stroud Field.
 
Northwestern State 34, Mississippi Valley State 0
MVSU   000 000 000 – 0 4 4
NSU       339 602 29x – 34 28 1
W – Cullen McDonald (2-0). L – Sherrod Reed (0-2). 2B – MVSU, Joshua Grubaugh. NSU, David Fry 2, Kelsey Richard 2, Larson Fontenot, Peyton Davis. 3B – NSU, Tyler Smith, Lenni Kunert, Larson Fontenot. HR – NSU, David Fry (8), Kelsey Richard 2 (6), Caleb Ricca (2), Larson Fontenot (1), Lenni Kunert (1). Highlights: NSU, Fry 3-5, 2 2Bs, HR, 4 RBIs; Chaney Dodge 2-5, 3 RBIs; Smith 3B, 2 RBIs; Austin Townsend 2-3; Kunert 2-3, 3B, HR, 4 RBIs; Fontenot 3-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBIs; Davis 2-7, 2B, 2 RBIs; Ricca 5-6, HR, 2 RBIs; Richard 4-4, 2 2Bs, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs.
Records: Mississippi Valley State 11-25; Northwestern State 23-18.