NATCHITOCHES – The top of the Northwestern State baseball order got things going Friday afternoon. The bottom of the order provided the thunder.
 
In between, Logan Hofmann was Logan Hofmann.
 
The Northwestern State right-hander spun his second gem in as many starts while Lenni Kunert and Peyton Davis each drove in three runs in an 8-2 series-opening win against North Alabama at Brown-Stroud Field.
 
"He's just special," fourth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "He's sharp every time. He's sharp in the bullpen. He prepares very well. He's a great model for our younger pitchers to follow and see what it takes to pitch on a Friday night in Division I. He can command three to four pitches every time.
 
"When they get on the fastball, which is a really good fastball, we can change the page and go to something else. He's always got it. It was a pleasure to watch."
 
Hofmann (2-0) scattered three hits and two unearned runs in eight innings, striking out 10 without issuing a walk.
 
It marked the first double-figure strikeout performance by an NSU pitcher since Nathan Jones fanned 10 against Southeastern Louisiana on April 15, 2018.
 
After pitching in a scoreless duel into the sixth inning in his Demon debut a week earlier, Hofmann got much earlier run support against the Lions (1-4).
 
Northwestern State (3-1) posted back-to-back, two-run innings off North Alabama starter Hunter Davidson (0-2) in the third and fourth innings, giving Hofmann plenty of cushion.
 
Lenni Kunert capitalized on a two-out, third-inning rally that started with Cam Sibley's check-swing single, delivering a two-run double that Lion left fielder Reid Singewald could not quite run down on the warning track.
 
"The first at-bat, I slowed my bat down," Kunert said. "I made a little adjustment, and the coaches told me to swing with bat speed. I was sitting offspeed, and he threw one in my wheelhouse. I sent it for a good rider. Their left fielder almost made a great play, but I'm glad he didn't."
 
An inning later, Davis also sat on a pitch from Davidson – a first-pitch fastball – and hammered over Singewald's head for a two-run home run.
 
"He beat me in the at-bat before with an inside fastball," Davis said. "I was sitting on it, ready to go. I got that cookie and hit it good."
 
Armed with a four-run lead, Hofmann cruised through the middle innings, retiring 12 straight from the third through the seventh innings before a two-out error in the seventh.
 
The next hitter, Tate Mathis, hit a long fly ball to right field that chased Kunert to the wall and caromed back toward the infield for an inside-the-park-home run that sliced the NSU lead in half.
 
Undaunted, the Demons responded with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, pouncing on a Lion error that caused three of the runs to be unearned.
 
Davis drove in the first run, singling home Daunte Stuart, who led off with a double that chased Davidson. Kunert added a sacrifice fly, and Marshall Skinner had a two-run single, extending his career-long hit streak to nine games.
 
"It's tough on Fridays," Barbier said. "You're down and you have two games tomorrow, and it's hard to figure out which reliever you're going to go do. Early in the season, you're figuring out who to go to. We do a good job when we get the starter out of the game. We just need to do it a little earlier."
 
The series continues Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. North Alabama will send left-handers Jacob Laws (0-1, 7.71) and Chase Best (1-0, 5.40) to the mound. NSU will counter with left-hander Reed Michel (0-1, 3.60) in the opener and a to-be-determined starter in the nightcap.
 
Northwestern State 8, North Alabama 2
UNA      000 000 200 – 2 3 1
NSU 002 200 40x – 8 8 1
W – Logan Hofmann (2-0). L – Hunter Davidson (0-2). 2B – NSU, Lenni Kunert, Daunte Stuart. HR – UNA, Tate Mathis (1). NSU, Peyton Davis (1). Highlights: NSU, Cam Sibley 2-5; Davis 2-3, HR, 3 RBIs.
Records: North Alabama 1-4; Northwestern State 3-1.