HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Three was the magic number for the Northwestern State baseball team Saturday afternoon at Don Sanders Stadium.
 
Because of starters Cal Carver and Levi David, the Demons made a pair of three-run outputs stand up, sweeping a Southland Conference doubleheader from host Sam Houston, 3-1 and 3-2.
 
"Both starters were tremendous," fifth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "They both competed in the strike zone. They are so different that it's hard on an opposing lineup. Cal did what he's done, keeping people off balance, and Levi was just electric."
 
Carver (3-1) set the tone with his first career complete game in the opener. After allowing a run in the first inning, the Northwestern State left-hander settled in and struck out 10 for his second straight start.
 
A second-inning Cam Sibley home run – the first of his career – tied things at 1 before Carver and a pair of Sam Houston pitchers quieted both offenses.
 
Northwestern State (9-8, 4-3) finally broke through in the seventh inning off Sam Houston relievers Garrett Egli (0-1) and Alex Havlicek.
 
The duo hit three Demon batters, threw a run-scoring wild pitch and gave up an RBI single to Jeffrey Elkins as Northwestern State fashioned a two-run seventh inning.

Despite running into some trouble in the seventh, Carver stranded a pair of Bearkats in scoring position, getting pinch hitter Eric Bohnert to fly out to center field.
 
In the nightcap, David was on from the start.
 
The 6-foot-5 right-hander dominated the Sam Houston (4-12, 1-6) lineup, striking out 10 in the first five innings to establish a new career high, allowing the Demons to eventually solve left-hander Dominic Robinson (0-1).
 
Robinson kept NSU scoreless through the fourth inning before Daunte Stuart's RBI single in the fifth put the Demons on the board. Elkins added a sacrifice fly in the inning to make it a 2-0 Demon lead.
 
Northwestern State added what became the winning run in the sixth when Peyton Davis scored on a wild pitch to give the Demons a 3-0 cushion.
 
That run grew in significance when the Bearkats scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.  
 
"You make it easier on yourself when you extend that lead," Barbier said. "We did a better job of getting them out there today and a better job of extending the lead and getting the big hit."
 
Donovan Ohnoutka notched his first career save, navigating the final 2 2-3 innings of the nightcap after David worked 6 1-3 innings, scattering four hits while striking out a career-high 12. The 12 strikeouts were the most by a Demon pitcher since O.J. King's 15 against Lamar on March 23, 2002.
 
"I'm so proud of Donny," Barbier said. "He didn't have his good stuff, and he was able to get through it. I'm proud of how we competed as a team for 16 innings today."
 
The series concludes with a 1 p.m. matchup Sunday. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher for the matchup, which can be heard free on www.NSUDemons.com and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app – a free download for Apple and Android devices.
 
Northwestern State 3-3, Sam Houston 1-2
Game 1
NSU       010 000 2 – 3 4 1
Sam Houston     100 000 0 – 1 4 0
W – Cal Carver (3-1). L – Garrett Egli (0-1). 2B – NSU, Lenni Kunert. HR – NSU, Cam Sibley (1).
Game 2
NSU       000 021 000 – 3 5 0
Sam Houston     000 001 100 – 2 5 1
W – Levi David (1-1). L – Dominic Robinson (0-1). S – Donovan Ohnoutka (1). 2B – SH, Bryce Holmes. Highlights: NSU, Lenni Kunert 2-5.
Records: Northwestern State 9-8, 4-3; Sam Houston 4-12, 1-6.