MONROE – Good starting pitching always goes a long way, especially on the road.
 
The Northwestern State baseball team found that out in a memorable moment-filled 5-0 victory against ULM at Lou St. Amant Field on Tuesday night.
 
Sophomore left-hander Jacob LeBlanc delivered five spectacular innings while Zach White and Thomas Marsala III delivered pivotal home runs as the Demons (16-9) collected their third straight win overall and third straight in the series with the Warhawks.
 
"We talked before the game about we had confidence in the bullets we had in the chamber, and those guys went out and performed," third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "I'm so proud of how all four guys who took the mound performed. I'm so proud of Jacob LeBlanc. What an efficient start. The pitch count was low, he was driving the baseball in the strike zone, and he was doing an unbelievable job. A huge credit to him in the way he got the win started and built the foundation, but think of how he can use that moving forward."
 
The Warhawks (14-12) had little success moving anything forward against LeBlanc (3-2), who faced the minimum across five innings.
 
LeBlanc left the game after allowing a leadoff double to Kade Dupont in the sixth inning, but Logan Trotter – the first of three Demon relievers – kept the shutout alive by stranding a runner on third. The quartet of pitchers delivered Northwestern's first shutout since blanking LSU-Alexandria on April 15, 2025.
 
LeBlanc limited a ULM offense that came in the game hitting .331 to two hits in his longest career outing. In two career appearances at Lou St. Amant Field, LeBlanc has tossed six shutout innings, earning a win and a save.
 
"The best thing about pitching here is the guys I'm surrounded with," LeBlanc said. "Every day, we show up to the yard, we're hungry to go to work and it shows. We made tremendous strides throughout the year. Credit to Dan (Hlad), our pitching coach. He has helped me so much with my mentality. That's been a game changer for me."
 
While LeBlanc smothered the Warhawk offense, the Demons came to life in the third inning as Zach White turned a 3-1 pitch from Haydan Toal (0-1) into his first career home run.
 
Northwestern followed White's leadoff shot with three straight bunt singles, setting up a three-run inning that gave LeBlanc, Trotter, Carter White and Chase Prestwich all the offensive ammunition they needed.
 
To be safe and sentimental, Marsala gave Northwestern some insurance in the seventh, driving his seventh home run of the season out to left-center field, capping a two-hit, two-RBI day in his hometown.
 
"That's the best feeling I could ask for," Marsala said. "Playing in front of (my family) is one of the greatest things I can do regardless of how I played. That's awesome."
 
In keeping with the spirited banter that permeated the Demon dugout, Marsala had some jokes for his teammates following White's first home run, which came two days after the redshirt freshman second baseman just missed hitting his first homer at home.
 
"I was telling somebody in the dugout that he's a foot away from two home runs," Marsala said. "I was looking at Joe (Siervo), because Joe's only got three, and told him, 'You better look out, because he's coming.'"
 
There were nothing but cheers for Prestwich, whose two shutout innings to close out the game featured four strikeouts.
 
In four innings against ULM this season, Prestwich – who missed the entire 2025 season recovering from labrum surgery in his shoulder – has not given up a hit and has struck out seven.
 
"That guy comes to the yard and goes about his work the right way every day," LeBlanc said of Prestwich. "He's one of the best teammates I've every been beside. This weekend, he and I kind of got the dugout energy going, and whenever you do that, the guys on the field look at you and nod their heads. That makes a difference.
 
"To see him go out and do what he did was awesome. The game knows. When you're a good steward of the game, you deserve that. The game rewarded him."
 
The Demons return to action Friday when they open a three-game Southland Conference series at Nicholls. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.
 
Northwestern State 5, ULM 0
NSU     003 100 100 – 5 8 0
ULM     000 000 000 – 0 3 0
W – Jacob LeBlanc (3-2). L – Haydan Toal (0-1). 2B – ULM, Kade Dupont, Dwayne Wray. HR – NSU, Thomas Marsala III (7), Zach White (1). Highlights: NSU, Marsala III 2-4, HR, 2 RBIs, Sam Ardoin 2-4.
Records: Northwestern State 16-9, ULM 14-12.2