Box Score SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Northwestern State baseball team ran into some tough luck early Friday night in its Southland Conference series opener at Incarnate Word.
 
The homestanding Cardinals, meanwhile, took advantage of their good fortune and turned it into pressure and an 8-2 win at Sullivan Field.
 
"The game got us a little bit today," sixth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "They put the ball in play. This field has a lot of hits in it. I didn't care for how we responded to that. We could have done a better job of playing cleaner, of understanding what was going on. Even though we were down a few runs, we were timid on defense. We could have done a better job of being aggressive. Sometimes the game gets you, and it got us tonight."
 
The Demons (15-14, 5-2) had nothing to show for two hard-hit balls in the first inning against UIW starter Carson Rollins (2-0), who retired NSU in order.
 
From there, the Cardinals (13-13, 3-4) started quickly against Demon left-hander Cal Carver (3-3).
 
Carver nearly escaped the first inning unscathed after allowing back-to-back singles to start the game, but Hernan Yanez' RBI single and a two-base error gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead and started a run of four straight innings in which UIW scored a run.
 
The biggest offensive surge came in the third when a strikeout and wild pitch helped extend the inning and allowed the Cardinals to put up four runs and build a 7-0 lead.
 
UIW's four-run outburst came after the Demons hit into their second consecutive inning-ending double play after singles by Gabe Colaianni and Cam Sibley put runners on first and second with one out.
 
Bo Willis put the Demons on the board with a titanic solo home run off Rollins in the fourth, but the UIW left-hander held strong until the seventh when the Demons loaded the bases with one out and drove him from the game.
 
Lee Westall surrendered a sacrifice fly to Daunte Stuart and a single to Jeffrey Elkins that reloaded the bases before Willis grounded out to end the threat.
 
While the Demons scratched out a run against the UIW bullpen, the Cardinals were unable to do much against Demon reliever Chase Prestwich, who tossed four shutout innings of relief, striking out a career-high four.
 
"He was great," Barbier said. "That's the guy we've seen quite a bit of in the fall and early spring and a few games here and there. It's just learning. It's getting out there and learning every time he's out there. How do I prepare to feel good when I'm out there? He used to know exactly what day he was pitching in high school, and now he has to be ready each time we play. It's difficult sometimes on those young bullpen guys, so it was good to see him do that tonight."
 
Colaianni had the lone multi-hit game for the Demons, going 2-for-4 as the Demons were outhit 16-6 by a UIW lineup that had six players record multiple hits.
 
The series continues at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Right-hander Johnathan Harmon (4-2, 2.27) takes the mound against UIW right-hander Michael Garza (2-3, 5.63).
 
Incarnate Word 8, Northwestern State 2
NSU       000 100 100 – 2 5 2
UIW       214 100 00x – 8 16 2
W – Carson Rollins (2-0). L – Cal Carver (3-3). 2B – UIW, Taylor Darden, Grant Smith, Hernan Yanez, Ridge Rogers. HR – NSU, Bo Willis (5). Highlights: NSU, Gabe Colaianni 2-4. UIW, Wilson Ehrhardt 2-5, RBI; Taylor Darden 3-5; Roberto Gonzalez 2-5; Yanez 2-4, 2B, 2 RBIs; Rogers 2-4, 2B, 2 RBIs; Alec Carr 3-4, RBI.
Records: Northwestern State 15-14, 5-2; UIW 13-13, 3-4.