NATCHITOCHES – Starting or relieving, the Northwestern State pitching staff delivered Sunday.
 
Drayton Brown gave the Demons their third quality start of the series and Kyle Froehlich was again stellar out of the bullpen as Northwestern State completed a three-game sweep of Alabama A&M with an 8-5 win at Brown-Stroud Field on Sunday afternoon.
 
"Drayton threw the ball over the plate with a secondary pitch," seventh-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "You do that and you're going to win a lot of college baseball games. That's what we did all weekend, and Drayton did it today. Drayton always gives us a chance to win, and he did it again today."
 
Brown (1-2) worked six innings, allowing two earned runs and tying a career-high with eight strikeouts. Brown did not issue a walk, part of a weekend in which Northwestern State pitchers struck out 37 batters and walked one.
 
The Demons (9-6) struck for two runs in the first inning against Alabama A&M starter Anthony Mateo (0-2), who retired the first two batters before Michael Dattalo singled to start a three-batter, two-run rally with two outs.
 
Jake Haze finished the flurry with a two-run single to left field, starting a game in which the Demons scored six of their eight runs with two outs.
 
"For the most part, it's me wanting to get the game rolling for us, put us ahead early," said Haze, whose 12 RBIs are second-most on the team. "I'm just trying to help our starting pitcher calm down and give the team a breath of fresh air."
 
Three times – including the first inning – Northwestern State scored a run in an inning where its first two batters were retired.
 
"That takes extra-bases hits a lot of times and the ability to steal a base," Barbier said. "I think about Jeff (Elkins) and (Jacob) Farrell doing a good job with that. When you can run and have some power, that can happen."
 
Elkins was involved in two of those two-out rallies Sunday – scoring once and driving in one of those runs.
 
After Bulldog reliever Noah Whitted retired the first two Demons in the fourth, Elkins singled to center field and scored on Farrell's double to left-center. Two innings later, Elkins drove in Haze, who dropped a double inside the right-field line with two outs.
 
Brown made the early lead stand up, allowing an unearned run through five innings before the Bulldogs (7-8) scored twice in the sixth to pull within three runs.
 
After the Demons responded with a run in their half of the sixth, Ethan Francis relieved Brown and spun a pair of scoreless innings before the Bulldogs connected on consecutive RBI doubles in the ninth inning to pull back within three.
 
Following the second double, Barbier turned to closer Kyle Froehlich, who needed just six pitches to strike out the only two batters he faced and earn his third save of the season.
 
"It's been really good," said Froehlich, who was a starting pitcher at Colby Community College. "I've (closed) before one time in summer league. I think it's a ton of fun. There are a lot of emotions, a lot of adrenaline coming it. I keep my heart rate low. I really enjoy coming in and doing that."
 
The Demons return to action Tuesday when they host ULM at 6 p.m.
 
Northwestern State 8, Alabama A&M 5
AAMU  010 002 002 – 5 8 1
NSU       212 101 01x – 8 9 1
W – Drayton Brown (1-2). L – Anthony Mateo (0-2). S – Kyle Froehlich (3). 2B – AAMU, Kaylan Duncan, Jalen Parker. NSU, Brayden Cust, Jake Haze, Jacob Farrell. 3B – AAMU, Chandler Stocking. Highlights: AAMU, Mekhi Lloyd 2-4; Tommy Easley 2-4, RBI. NSU, Cust 2-5, 2B; Haze 2-3, 2B, 2 RBIs; Jeffrey Elkins 2-4, 2 RBIs.
Records: Alabama A&M 7-8, Northwestern State 9-6