THIBODAUX – Relentless, complete and complementary.
 
Take your pick of the above adjectives, because they all applied to the Northwestern State baseball team Friday night in its Southland Conference series opener at Nicholls.
 
Behind seven strong innings from freshman left-hander Brody Trosclair and a patient and powerful offense, the Demons rolled to a 12-2 victory against the Colonels at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Stadium.
 
"I'm extremely proud of the ball club, from top to bottom, for the level of competitive spirit they showed," third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "It's one of the more complete games we've played, because of how we competed. We were locked in. We were focused. We were energetic. They set out from the beginning to be on that relentless pursuit of applying pressure."
 
The pressure came from all angles.
 
It came in the form of Trosclair (4-1), who scattered five hits and two runs across a career-long seven innings with eight strikeouts.
 
A Thibodaux native, Trosclair allowed a first-inning run before blanking Nicholls until Logan Terry's leadoff home run in the seventh inning.
 
"We had our high school fans there, and I heard them," said Trosclair, who threw 74 of his 108 pitches for strikes. "It felt like a home game. It felt great to be in front of them again, and I know they love to see me."
 
It came in the form of a defense that backed up its starter with several key plays, including an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the fourth inning when the game was still competitive. Trosclair followed that double play by striking out the side in the fifth inning.
 
"It definitely wasn't my best pitch of the night, but (shortstop) Sam (Ardoin) always says he has my back," Trosclair said. "I knew if the ball went to him and Zach White, who's been awesome at second base, that they'd make a play, and they did just that."
 
It came in the form of an offense that pounded out 11 hits, drew 11 walks and two hit by pitches, consistently applying pressure to the seven pitchers used by the Colonels (13-14, 5-7).
 
Three of the biggest swings of the night came in the middle innings as the Demons (17-9, 9-4) continually extended the lead.
 
JT Simonelli delivered the first, a leadoff home run in the fourth inning off of Nuno Parache (0-3). An inning later, Thomas Marsala III drove Parache from the game with a two-run home run. Parache lasted 4 1-3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits.
 
Ethan Menard capped the big-hit parade by rifling a two-out, two-run double to right center in the sixth.
 
"He beat me the first AB with a fastball, and I said that wasn't going to happen again," said Simonelli, who added an RBI single in the eighth inning as Northwestern scored in seven of its nine at-bats. "I made an adjustment and got the ball out of the park."
 
The Demons' relentless attack and Trosclair's effectiveness went hand-in-hand.
 
"He was awesome," Simonelli said. "He embraced the pressure, embraced where he was at, and he just attacked. There's nothing more you can ask for. It works both ways. We come out and get him a run, and he starts rolling and it just builds and builds."
 
The Demons never stopped adding to the lead, including a three-run ninth that featured a two-run single from Michael McAloose, who drove in a career-best three runs.
 
"Quality at-bats strung together, multiple quality at-bats in an inning, guys playing situational baseball – I couldn't be any more proud in the way our team competed in addition to getting a win," Bertrand said. "That needs to be the calling card of this baseball team as we move forward into the thick of this thing. The calling card needs to be we'll attack one through nine, and that it can come from anywhere, anytime. The idea of us continuing to pass the baton with quality at-bat after quality at-bat and being in search of constantly being on the barrel on pitches in the hitting zone and laying off pitches out of the hitting zone. That's how you pressurize the opposing pitcher, and our guys did a really good job of chasing a quality starter early in the game."
 
The series continues Saturday night when the Demons send the reigning Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week Dylan Marionneaux (2-2, 4.17) to the mound against Nicholls left-hander Austin Vargas (0-1, 7.78). First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
 
Northwestern State 12, Nicholls 2
NSU     110 122 023 – 12 12 1
NICH   100 000 100 – 2 7 3
W – Brody Trosclair (4-1). L – Nuno Parache (0-3). 2B – NSU, Sam Ardoin, Michael McAloose, Ethan Menard. NICH, Carter Jenkins, Nico Rijo-Berger. HR – NSU, JT Simonelli (4), Thomas Marsala III (8). NICH, Logan Terry (1). Highlights: NSU, Brooks Leonard 2-5; Marsala 3-5, HR, 3 RBIs; Simonelli 2-5, HR, 2 RBIs; McAloose 2-5, 2B, 3 RBIs. NICH, Rijo-Berger 2-4, 2B; Terry 2-3, HR, RBI.
Records: Northwestern State 17-9, 9-4; Nicholls 13-14, 5-7.