NATCHITOCHES – Even while the situation changed around him pitch by pitch,
Jake Haze did not change his approach for most of his pivotal eighth-inning at-bat Friday night.
Once the count filled up, though, Haze did exactly what he sat out to, knocking in the game-winning run in Northwestern State's 10-8 victory against Austin Peay at Brown-Stroud Field.
"I was just happy to be out here playing," said Haze, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles in his first Division I start. "I wouldn't say anything changed until I got to 3-2. I was trying to battle, do anything I could to get (
Jeffrey Elkins) home."
Haze's flare that fell in front of a diving TJ Foreman in left field lifted the Demons (4-4) to their third straight win, one that became tougher as a long day wore on.
Northwestern State jumped to an 8-0 lead after three innings, scoring four runs in each of the second and third innings. Two-run home runs from
Daunte Stuart in the second and Elkins in the third highlighted the Demons' early surge against left-hander Harley Gollert.
Stuart's home run was part of a 2-for-2 night in which he reached base five times, drawing a career-high three walks. Elkins' home run was his first hit of the season on a night where he went 2-for-3 and drew a one-out walk in the tide-turning eighth inning.
After Elkins walked against Nolan O'Shoney (0-1), pinch-hitter
Cameron Horton struck out. With Haze batting, Elkins stole second and later took third on a wild pitch before Haze singled off Sebastian Martinez to put the Demons ahead to stay.
"Jeff's one of the hardest workers we have, and he's been that way for three years now," fifth-year head coach
Bobby Barbier said. "Man, you hurt for those guys when you struggle. You see their work and what they put in. You try to get them in good spots where they can come out of it. If you put in the work, it's going to come, and it was good to see him break out of it today."
Johnathan Harmon and
Nik Millsap covered the first six innings Friday night well, limiting Austin Peay (1-7) to one run and two hits in that time.
In the seventh, the Governors fought back, scoring seven times on seven hits and a pair of hit batters to even the game.
Millsap and
Josh Banes took the brunt of the inning before Banes got a fly ball to end the inning and keep the game tied.
"We talked after the game about picking each other up," Barbier said. "
Josh Banes has picked us up so many times early in the season on the mound, and it was good to see the other guys pick him up on a night where he wasn't as sharp."
Donovan Ohnoutka (1-0) worked two scoreless innings to earn the victory, his first since March 3, 2018.
In addition to Stuart, Elkins and Haze,
Lenni Kunert had a pair of hits for the Demons, who rapped out 11 hits off four Austin Peay pitchers.
The series continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. start.
Cal Carver (1-0, 0.00) takes the mound for the Demons against Austin Peay's Peyton Jula (0-1, 5.62).
Northwestern State 10, Austin Peay 8
AP 000 010 700 – 8 9 2
NSU 044 000 02x – 10 11 1
W –
Donovan Ohnoutka (1-0). L – Nolan O'Shoney (0-1). 2B – AP, Jack Alexander. NSU,
Gabe Colaianni. 3B – AP, Harrison Brown. HR – NSU,
Daunte Stuart (2),
Jeffrey Elkins (1). Highlights: AP, Alexander 2-5, 2B, RBI; Xavier Torres 2-3, 2 RBIs. NSU, Stuart 2-2, HR, 2 RBIs;
Lenni Kunert 2-5; Elkins 2-3, HR, 2 RBIs;
Jake Haze 2-4, 2 RBIs.
Records: Austin Peay 1-7; Northwestern State 4-4.
