NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball team ran the gamut of emotions Sunday, fitting for a wacky weekend of Southland Conference action.
 
In the opener of Sunday's doubleheader, the Demons erupted for a season high in runs, rolling to a 16-2 win against Stephen F. Austin before the Lumberjacks outlasted the Demons, 6-5, in the 15-inning nightcap at Brown-Stroud Field.
 
"I don't think I've ever been part of a day like that," second-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "In the first game, we swung the bats, got into their bullpen, did a good job. We lined out twice with a chance to win the second game. Sometimes that happens. It was a long day of baseball."
 
The long day started out well for the Demons (16-14, 6-6), who won their second Southland Conference series of the season with a 14-hit eruption in the opener.
 
After SFA starter Trevor Kiminski (1-4) retired the first six Demons he faced, Northwestern State put up four runs in the third inning thanks in large part to the bottom third of its order.
 
The trio of Caleb Ricca, Kwan Adkins and Sam Taylor went a combined 6-for-1 with six runs scored and three RBIs in the opener. They opened the scoring by all three reaching against Kiminski in the third inning.
 
The top four in the Demons order then all followed with RBIs in the four-run frame, giving starting pitcher Jerry Maddox (3-2) plenty of cushion.
 
Maddox didn't need much run support as he turned in his best start of the season. Making his first weekend start, the junior right-hander did not allow a hit until the sixth inning. Maddox worked six scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while striking out four to post his third straight winning decision.
 
After touching up Kiminski in five innings, the Demons poured it on against the SFA bullpen.
 
The first six Demons reached via a hit against Jordan Powell in the NSU sixth inning. Included in that run was a three-run Tyler Smith home run that sparked the 10-run inning. It took three different Stephen F. Austin (11-20, 4-8) pitchers to work through 15 Demons hitters as Northwestern State posted its biggest single-inning number this season.
 
Smith added a sacrifice fly in the inning, part of a career-high five RBIs.
 
"I thought Jerry was really good," Barbier said. "Both of our starting pitchers threw the ball well."
 
Unfortunately for Game 2 starter Nathan Jones, he did not receive the same type of run support Maddox had.
 
Less than an hour after pounding out 14 hits in eight innings, Northwestern State managed just six hits in the nightcap and put itself in an early hole with a pair of first-inning errors that led to a pair of unearned runs.
 
The Demons struggled to solve Lumberjacks right-hander Sean Beasley, who struck out four and allowed one hit and one run in five innings.
 
Trailing 4-1 in the seventh, the Demons mounted a two-run, two-out rally and then took a 5-4 lead in the eighth on J.P. Lagreco's two-out RBI single.
 
Jones, who allowed just two earned runs in eight innings, was in line for the win before NIc Minor's two-out RBI double in the ninth tied the game and set both teams toward a long night of baseball.
 
Jose Vasquez recovered after allowing Minor's game-tying hit, tossing six innings of relief before the first two Lumberjacks reached against David Hodo (0-2) in the 15^th inning, setting up Tyler Kimball's go-ahead sacrifice fly.
 
The Demons limited the damage, keeping it a one-run game and put two runners on with two outs before Jake Norton got Smith on a hard line drive to shortstop to end the game.
 
"We've got to do a better job in that second game of coming out better," Barbier said. "We were flat, made a couple of errors in the first inning that we don't normally make. It's hard to remember now, but if you look at the board, it's probably what cost us the game.
 
"We did a good job of fighting back. Give them credit. They got beat 16-2 in the first game and came out fighting. Sometimes those things happen. We'll take a day off (Monday), regroup and get ready for Tuesday."
 
Adkins had three hits in both games, finishing the doubleheader 6-for-10. Josh Evans went 4-for-7 in the nightcap for the Lumberjacks, who had 16 hits after being held to four in the opener.
 
The Demons return to action Tuesday when they travel to Beaumont, Texas, to face Lamar. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
 
Northwestern State 16-5, Stephen F. Austin 2-6
Game 1
SFA        000 000 200 – 2 4 3
NSU       004 00(10) 20x – 16 14 0
W – Jerry Maddox (3-2). L – Trevor Kiminski (1-4). 2B – SFA, Manny Vasquez; Jarrod Huber; Nic Minor. NSU, Peyton Davis; Kwan Adkins. HR – NSU, Tyler Smith (3). Highlights: NSU, David Fry 2-5, RBI; Luke Watson 2-5, RBI; Davis 2-4, 2B, RBI; Smith HR, 5 RBIs; Caleb Ricca 2-2; Adkins 3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs.
Game 2
SFA        200 011 001 000 001 – 6 16 1
NSU       001 000 220 000 000 – 5 6 3
W – Dru Dziedzic (1-2). L – David Hodo (0-2). S – Jake Norton (1). 2B – SFA, Josh Evans 2; Luis Santiago; Nic Minor. Highlights: SFA, Evans 4-7 2 2Bs; Skylar Black 2-6; Santiago 2-7, 2B; Minor 2-6, 2B, RBI. NSU, Adkins 3-6.
Records: Stephen F. Austin 11-20, 4-8; Northwestern State 16-14, 6-6.