Box Score NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Northwestern State baseball team saw Act II of the same scene Sunday at Jaycees Field.
 
The Demon offense reverted to the same issues it had in Friday's series opener, scuffling against Stephen F. Austin starter Pedro Cuellar in a 7-2 Southland Conference series-finale loss to the Lumberjacks.
 
"We let them do what they wanted to do on the mound," fifth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "We had two solo homers, and the one inning we really had pressure on them, they made a great play. We have to have more pressure in more innings, get guys out there. We hit a few balls hard early and then didn't do much."
 
Cuellar (1-1) limited the Demons (26-24, 20-16) to one hit through five innings before Northwestern State put together its biggest threat against the SFA starter.
 
Cam Sibley led off the Demon sixth with a single and, two batters later, Larson Fontenot followed with an infield single. A walk to Daunte Stuart loaded the bases for Cameron Horton.
 
Horton chopped a ball through the right side that second baseman Sean Moore made a sliding stop of in shallow right field. Moore flipped to a covering Cuellar, who nipped Horton at the bag to retire the side and keep the shutout intact.
 
By the time the Demons made their push, they trailed 7-0 after a three-run first and Skylar Black's fifth-inning grand slam off right-hander Johnathan Harmon (4-4).
 
Harmon allowed seven runs (six earned) on seven hits with all of the damage coming in those two innings.
 
"We spotted them a three-spot in the first and then the grand slam, that's hard to overcome," Barbier said. "I thought the ball was coming out of (Harmon's) hand better than it has been. He had better stuff today. We let them get their hits in bunches, and we made a mistake in each of those innings. You can't compound a poor pitch, an error and a walk in the same inning. That's the ingredients for a big inning."
 
Jeffrey Elkins broke up the shutout, drilling a leadoff home run in the seventh inning against Jacob Stobart, who replaced Cuellar after the right-hander's six shutout innings.
 
Tyler Smith added his 23^rd career home run – a solo shot – in the ninth inning for the Demons' two runs. Smith's blast moved him into a tie for ninth place on the Demons' career list with Brandon Morgan.
 
Smith and Fontenot each finished 2-for-4 for the Demons, who got three perfect innings of relief from left-hander Cameron Taylor and right-hander Peyton Graham.
 
"Both of them pitched great, and we're going to need both of them on the way out," Barbier said. "It was good to see a couple of older guys pitch well in that spot. Hopefully, they can build off that."
 
The Demons return to action Tuesday night at LSU in their final mid-week game of the season. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Alex Box Stadium.
 
Stephen F. Austin 7, Northwestern State 2
NSU       000 000 101 – 2 7 1
SFA        300 040 00x – 7 7 0
W – Pedro Cuellar (1-1). L – Johnathan Harmon (4-4). 2B – SFA, Clayton Loranger. HR – NSU, Jeffrey Elkins (5), Tyler Smith (3). SFA, Skylar Black (7). Highlights: NSU, Larson Fontenot 2-4; Tyler Smith 2-4, HR, RBI. SFA, Cameron Crawford 2-4; Black GS, 4 RBIs.
Records: Northwestern State 26-24, 20-16; Stephen F. Austin 19-28, 16-19.