NATCHITOCHES – The equation for the Northwestern State baseball team has been a simple one: Play clean baseball, win games.
 
That holds true, regardless of the opponent in the other dugout.
 
The Demons will attempt to put that equation into practice Tuesday at 6 p.m. when they host LSU-Alexandria on ESPN+. The game is a quick stopover at Brown-Stroud Field between consecutive Southland Conference road series at Nicholls and UIW.
 
Northwestern State (13-23) started their final road-heavy stretch in fine fashion, taking the first two games from the defending Southland Conference regular-season and tournament champion Colonels to give the Demons their first four-game road win streak in Southland play since 2016.
 
"Home or road, the venue or the stadium doesn't matter as much as the continual growth and development of our team," first-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "The way in which we went down and played in the first two days against such a quality opponent, such quality starting pitching and the way we came up with a game plan and executed to score runs in those two nights was important. There are so many lessons you take from it that we will be able to use this week and going further into the future. We're continuing to learn about our ballclub and players and, as a team, continue to learn lessons that will move us forward as a team."
 
One of those lessons the Demons will put in play against the visiting Generals (17-18) is to avoid looking at labels.
 
LSUA is the second lower-division team to visit Brown-Stroud Field this season, following the Demons' 5-4 win against Louisiana Christian on March 26. The Generals and LCU share membership in the NAIA's Red River Athletic Conference.
 
"There are no labels – good baseball is good baseball," Bertrand said. "Good baseball coaches are good baseball coaches, and (LSUA coach) Kody (Gautreaux) is a good baseball coach. He's going to come in here with a really good baseball team. They're doing the same thing at their point in the season that everybody else in the country – including the Demons – are doing. They're trying to press good buttons. They're trying to learn about their teams. In his particular case, his team is getting ready for a postseason run, so they're looking for things they can take from games that matter.
 
"The labels don't matter. That's an incredible man, who will come here with a really good baseball team, and we need to welcome the challenge of going to war with it and taking everything we can out of it. We're focused on tomorrow night alone. We fully expect them to come here and give us everything we can handle."
 
Northwestern State will send right-hander Kevin Robinson (1-1, 3.00) to the mound to make his sixth start of the season while LSUA will counter with left-hander Dominic Thibodeaux (2-2, 7.71).