Box Score ARLINGTON, Texas – There was no late-inning magic for the Northwestern State baseball team Saturday night at Globe Life Field.
 
The Demons took an early lead against Oklahoma in game two of a three-game, non-conference series but were unable to extend it before the Sooners manufactured a couple of runs in the middle of the game to grab a 2-1 win an even the series.
 
"Once again, they ran out a guy who will be a really good draft pick and closed with a guy who probably will be the same," sixth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "The radar gun gets stuck on 94 when we play these guys. We played really hard. We didn't have really good fortune offensively early, which was our time to get it done. I told the team, 'We made them play great.' We made them execute pitches on the mound. They played great defense. The second baseman was all over the field. We made them play great, and they got us."
 
Northwestern State (3-2) started quicker Saturday night than in Friday's series opener, taking a 1-0 second-inning lead on Cam Sibley's RBI groundout that scored Cole Horton.
 
Horton led off the inning with a single off right-hander David Sandlin (1-1) and moved to third on Gabe Colaianni's double. Sibley then hit a line drive that deflected off Sandlin to first base for a run-scoring out.
 
NSU pressured Sandlin for the majority of his six-inning start.
 
The Demons had runners on first and second with one out in the third before Sandlin escaped thanks in part to second baseman Diego Muniz robbing Gray Rowlett of a hit for the second time in the first three innings.
 
Daunte Stuart's one-out double in the fifth gave the Demons another runner in scoring position with less than two outs against Sandlin before the Sooner right-hander struck out the next two NSU hitters.
 
Sandlin worked six innings, scattering five hits and allowing one run while striking out eight to earn the win.
 
NSU starter Johnathan Harmon matched Sandlin for five innings, allowing a single run in the third inning. Harmon scattered three hits across five innings, striking out four.
 
He left with the game tied after striking out Peyton Graham with a runner on third to end the fifth inning.
 
Harmon had plenty of help from his defense, specifically left fielder Broch Holmes, who had two standout catches to end the third inning and keep the game tied at one.
 
"Johnny was great on the mound," Barbier said. "Broch made some great plays. Gabe gets his first start of the year, and he wasn't wide-eyed. He was ready to play. We got Cole Horton back out there, and he took some good swings."
 
Oklahoma (4-2) took the lead on Cade Horton's sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Chase Prestwich (0-1), who nearly worked out of a first-and-third, one-out jam to keep the game tied.
 
While the Demons were able to solve a cadre of Oklahoma relievers on Friday, NSU barely threatened Carter Campbell and Trevin Michael on Saturday. Michael, a Lamar transfer, recorded a seven-out save to even the series.
 
The set concludes Sunday with a 5:30 p.m. first pitch. Right-hander Drayton Brown (0-0, 3.60) takes the mound for NSU against Oklahoma left-hander Chazz Martinez (0-0, 0.00).
 
"I've been really proud for two games about how we've competed in a really cool stadium against a really good opponent," Barbier said. "I told them, it's about doing it again. Good teams can come out and compete three times in a weekend."
 
Oklahoma 2, Northwestern State 1
NSU       010 000 000 – 1 5 1
Oklahoma           001 001 00x – 2 4 0
W – David Sandlin (1-1). L – Chase Prestwich (0-1). S – Trevin Michael (2). 2B – NSU, Gabe Colaianni, Daunte Stuart. OU, Jackson Nicklaus. Highlights: OU, Nicklaus 2-2, 2B.
Records: Northwestern State 3-2; Oklahoma 4-2.