HAMMOND – The Northwestern State baseball team had the momentum going its way late in Friday night's Southland Conference series opener at Southeastern Louisiana.
 
Just as quickly as "Uncle Mo" had drifted to the visiting Demons, he shifted back to the homestanding Lions, who took advantage and used a pair of eighth-inning runs to grab a 5-3 victory at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
"You've got to be different on the road against a good team," third-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "In the seventh inning, we have a runner on first and nobody out and don't score. In the eighth, we have a runner on second and nobody out, and we don't get him in. It's not a lack of concentration or execution, but to win tough games on the road, you've got to take advantage of those spots."
 
Despite trailing 3-2 after six innings, the Demons (19-13, 9-7) had their chances late.
 
For the second time in the past four games, Tyler Smith led off the seventh inning with a game-tying home run, taking Southeastern Louisiana (17-17, 9-4) starter Corey Gaconi deep to right center field. It was Smith's fifth home run of the season, tying him for the team lead, and it matched the feat he accomplished in the nightcap of a doubleheader sweep against Nicholls on April 5.
 
Sam Taylor followed with a single and appeared to have stolen second base with one out and Austin Stegall at the plate. However, Stegall was called out on batter's interference and Taylor was sent back to second, halting the Demons' attempt for a multi-run inning.
 
After Kyle Swanson (0-1) and Ridge Heisler combined to work out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth, the Demons against appeared to seize momentum as Lenni Kunert led off with a double that drove Gaconi from the game.
 
Lions reliever Grant Upton (1-0) relieved Gaconi and eventually stranded Kunert at third with a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a ground out.
 
Southeastern Louisiana capitalized where the Demons did not.
 
The Lions started the eighth with back-to-back singles and took the lead on a Bryce Steckler sacrifice fly. A bases-loaded walk gave the Lions an insurance run.
 
Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on Kyle Schimpf's two-run home run in the first inning of Heisler, who settled in after the home run and limited the Lions to only one more run in 6 2-3 innings, scattering nine hits and striking out four.
 
By doing so, Heisler allowed the Demons' offense to solve Gaconi, who retired the first six batters he faced on 10 pitches across two innings.
 
Austin Stegall's one-out walk in the third gave the Demons their first base runner, and five pitches later, Jakob Nunez tied the game with his second home run of the season.
 
"We had a couple of big homers," Barbier said. "I thought Ridge didn't have his best stuff, but he settled in and got us into the seventh inning. The homers got the momentum back to our side, but you've got to keep pressure on the home team. You take the lead in the eighth, and you put the pressure on them."
 
The series continues Saturday with a 1 p.m. matchup. Senior right-hander Nathan Jones (4-1, 2.77) takes the mound against Southeastern Louisiana right-hander Mason Knopp (3-1, 3.90).
 
Southeastern Louisiana 5, Northwestern State 3
NSU       002 000 100 – 3 5 0
SLU        200 100 02x – 5 11 0
W – Grant Upton (1-0). L – Kyle Swanson (0-1). S – Jared Biddy (5). 2B – NSU, Lenni Kunert. HR – NSU, Tyler Smith (5), Jakob Nunez (2). SLU, Kyle Schmipf (6). Highlights: SLU, Cody Grosse 2-3, RBI; Brennan Breaud 2-4; Nathan Pilutti 3-4.
Records: Northwestern State 19-13, 9-7; Southeastern Louisiana 17-17, 9-4.