NEW ORLEANS – The Northwestern State baseball team started strong Friday night, but the ending belonged to New Orleans.
The Privateers never led until the final pitch when a throwing error on a slowly hit ground ball allowed the winning run to score in a 7-6 Southland Conference victory for UNO at Maestri Field.
"Against good teams on the road, you've got to play pretty clean and extend the lead when they bring in a guy in the fifth," sixth-year head coach
Bobby Barbier said. "Hopefully, that's something we can learn. It was a good Friday night baseball game in the Southland Conference against a really good team over there."
The Demons (10-12, 0-1) managed five hits on the game but made them count.
Jeffrey Elkins homered for the second straight game – a solo shot in the first – and
Bo Willis drilled a bases-clearing double off UNO starter Tyler LeBlanc to open a 4-1 lead in the third.
The Demons pushed LeBlanc's pitch count to 101 through four innings, getting into the Privateer bullpen early.
UNO right-hander Jack Williams (4-0) proved to be much more effective than LeBlanc, tossing five shutout innings to allow the Privateers to chip away at NSU's 6-3 lead.
"He came in and did a good job," Barbier said. "We did a good job of getting their starter out of the game. He's been good all year, great numbers, and we made him pitch differently than he wanted to."
With Williams working effectively, UNO's offense was able to take advantage of some soft contact and a couple of home runs off
Cal Carver to creep back into the game.
Carver left with a 6-5 lead after six innings, getting Kasten Furr to strike out with the tying run on base to end the sixth inning before giving way to
Dawson Flowers, who put up a pair of scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.
Carver scattered 10 hits, allowing five runs (four earned) while taking his second no-decision of the season.
After getting through a pair of scoreless innings, Flowers (0-1) gave up an infield single to Furr to start the ninth – UNO's fifth infield hit of the game – before Amani Larry singled to left.
Cameron Taylor entered to face Pearce Howard and got ahead 0-2 before Howard's soft liner avoided Taylor and both diving shortstop
Cam Sibley and second baseman
Daunte Stuart to score Furr with the tying run.
Anthony Herron's slow grounder to shortstop led to the game-winning run as Sibley's throw was high, allowing Larry to score the winning run.
"It's a tough one," Barbier said. "They had some weak contact, even in the ninth inning. That's a part of life. You've got to move on and be ready to play (Saturday)."
The series continues at 2 p.m. Saturday. Right-hander
Johnathan Harmon (2-2, 1.95) takes the mound for the Demons against New Orleans left-hander Brandon Mitchell (0-2, 4.91).
New Orleans 7, Northwestern State 6
NSU 103 200 000 – 6 5 2
UNO 102 110 002 – 7 14 1
W – Jack Williams (4-0). L –
Dawson Flowers (0-1). 2B – NSU,
Bo Willis. UNO, Kasten Furr, Amani Larry, Pearce Howard. 3B – NSU,
Jake Haze. HR – NSU,
Jeffrey Elkins (4). UNO, Amani Larry (3), Anthony Herron Jr. (3). Highlights: UNO, Furr 3-5, 2B, RBI; Larry 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBIs; Howard 3-5, 2B, RBI; Jorge Tejeda 2-3.
Records: Northwestern State 10-12, 0-1; New Orleans 13-7, 1-0.
