NEW ORLEANS – With a couple of swings Saturday afternoon, the Northwestern State baseball team reaffirmed its resilient attitude and built momentum heading into next week's Southland Conference Tournament.
 
Leading by two, the Demons tacked on four insurance runs in the ninth inning to grab a 10-4 win against New Orleans in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Maestri Field. The Privateers grabbed an 8-1 win in the opener behind eight strong innings from Bryan Warzek.
 
"It's just good at-bats against really good arms," second-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "They ran out three arms today who are really good. We put together good at-bat after good at-bat. Hopefully, we can take what we've done late in the season into the tournament."
 
After being limited to four hits in the opener by Warzek and Rafe Schindler, the Demons (33-22, 18-12) scratched out an early run in the nightcap before putting together a rather unusual five-run fourth inning.
 
A David Fry walk and back-to-back hit by pitches drawn by Tyler Smith and J.P. Lagreco loaded the bases against Kyle Arjona (3-5) with nobody out. Luke Watson drove in Fry with a sac fly to center while Smith took third on the play.
 
After Austin Stegall's successful safety squeeze, Arjona struck out Caleb Ricca, who reached on a wild pitch.
 
Two pitches later, Peyton Davis unloaded a three-run shot to left field that doubled NSU's lead and put Jerry Maddox (7-3) in position to collect his fifth win in seven conference starts.
 
Maddox, working a designated short start to tune up for the conference tournament, tossed two perfect innings, leading a parade of five Demons pitchers who combined to strike out nine Privateers (26-30, 14-16) without issuing a walk.
 
New Orleans cut into the Demons' lead with four runs in the middle innings before David Hodo restored order with perfect seventh and eighth innings.
 
Leading by just two, the Demons' offense answered back after a four-inning slumber.
 
Austin Stegall, who hit his first career home run in the ninth inning of the opener, singled to start the inning before Ricca followed with another single. After a David sac bunt, Sam Taylor chopped an RBI single through a drawn-in infield to make it 7-4.
 
Taylor stole second with Kwan Adkins at bat and a throwing error allowed him to take third and Ricca to score.
 
Adkins, who had squared to bunt the first pitch, spun on Reeves Martin's next pitch and crushed it out to right field for his second homer of the season.
 
"Coach gave me the safety squeeze the first pitch, but he threw a ball," Adkins said. "He said, 'If he throws it again, swing away and look for a pitch to drive.' I got lucky and ran into one."
 
Adkins had NSU's lone multi-hit game of the doubleheader, going 2-for-5 in the nightcap.
 
The Demons managed just three singles against Warzek (4-2), the Southland's strikeout leader, in the first game as the left-hander spun eight shutout innings.
 
The Privateers took an early lead as the first four batters reached and scored against Demons starter Nathan Jones (4-6), who settled in after a rough first to go six innings despite being on a reduced pitch count.
 
Stegall's home run against Schindler helped the Demons avoid their second shutout loss of the season before they answered with a final game win to collect their fourth straight series win to end the regular season.
 
Northwestern State's turnaround season, one that has seen them win eight more conference games and 13 more games total than in 2017, will continue Wednesday at 9 a.m. when the third-seeded Demons face No. 6 seed McNeese at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament.
 
"I'm very proud of these guys," Barbier said. "To be picked 11^th and finish third, they competed well throughout the entire conference season. I'm very, very proud of them – the players, the coaches, the staff – and all the work that's gone into this. Now, we've got to reset. We have to understand that none of this means anything unless we come out Monday and have a good practice and prepare for the tournament."
 
New Orleans 8-4, Northwestern State 1-10
Game 1
NSU       000 000 001 – 1 4 2
UNO      400 002 20x – 8 10 0
W – Bryan Warzek (4-2). L – Nathan Jones (4-6). 2B – UNO, Jay Robinson. HR – NSU, Austin Stegall (1); UNO, Orynn Veillon (4), Scott Crabtree (1). Highlights: UNO, Collin Morrill 2-4; Pearce Howard 2-5, RBI; Robinson 2-4, 2B, RBI.
Game 2
NSU       010 500 004 – 10 10 2
UNO      000 211 000 – 4 8 0
W – Jerry Maddox (7-3). L – Kyle Arjona (3-5). 2B – NSU, Tyler Smith. UNO, Jay Robinson 2, Scott Crabtree. 3B -- . HR – NSU, Kwan Adkins (2); Peyton Davis (4); UNO, Pearce Howard (7). Highlights: NSU, Adkins 2-5, HR, 2 RBIs; UNO, Robinson 2-3, 2 2Bs; Crabtree 2-3, 2B, RBI.
Records: Northwestern State 33-22, 18-12; New Orleans 26-30, 14-16.