Thomas Marsala III rounds the bases after hitting a home run against Stephen F. Austin.
Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
8
Stephen F. Austin SFA 22-21, 11-11 SLC
11
Winner Northwestern State NWST 24-18, 15-10 SLC
Stephen F. Austin SFA
22-21, 11-11 SLC
8
Final
11
Northwestern State NWST
24-18, 15-10 SLC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Stephen F. Austin SFA 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 8 17 2
Northwestern State NWST 3 0 0 0 0 6 0 2 X 11 19 1

W: Trotter, Logan (1-0) L: James, Jack (2-2) S: White, Carter (1)

Game Recap: Demon Baseball | | Jason Pugh, Associate Athletic Director for External Relations

Relentless Demons rally past SFA in series opener

NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball team broke out of its offensive funk at precisely the right time Friday night.
 
The Demons set a season high in hits, erasing a pair of five-run deficits, as they rallied past Stephen F. Austin for an 11-8 win at Brown-Stroud Field in the opening game of a three-game Southland Conference series to give third-year head coach Chris Bertrand his 200th career victory.
 
"I wouldn't have it any other way than the Demon way," Bertrand said. "I'm the proudest guy in the world tonight, and I'm proud of the entire ball club. What's cool is the way the offense came out of what we've been going through. That's a huge response in the way they did it. Proud of the pitchers for – despite the two crooked numbers – putting up seven zeroes. Proud of the entire ball club for the response to a five in the first inning, but I'm the most proud of (infield and hitting coach) Sam Taylor.
 
"Sam has been wearing what's been going on offensively really hard, but he used it as motivation. He beat himself up, but he went to work, and he went to work with our guys. Those lineup adjustments today, that was Sam's idea."
 
Northwestern (24-18, 15-10) snapped its season-long, six-game losing streak by overcoming a multiple-run, first-inning deficit for the second time in Southland play. Three weeks ago, the Demons fell behind 4-0 to UTRGV before rallying to defeat the Vaqueros, 9-6.
 
This time, Northwestern trailed 5-0 eight batters into the game after the Lumberjacks (22-21, 11-11) blitzed Demon starter Kevin Robinson with a five-run first inning that was aided by a two-out, two-run error.
 
From there, the Demon offense went to work.
 
Thomas Marsala III started his career-high, four-hit night with his 10th home run of the year, a solo shot off left-hander Cody Templeton, to ignite a three-run response for an offense that had averaged two runs per game during its six-game skid.
 
Marsala was in the middle of the Demons' six-run sixth inning as well, winning another left-on-left matchup. This time, Marsala's bases-clearing double to the right-center field gap off Jack James (2-1) tied the game at 8 before Ethan Menard followed with the go-ahead RBI single.
 
"At some point, you've just got to tell yourself you're going to win a game," said Marsala, who also set a career high with four RBIs in his first start in the No. 2 lineup spot since March 18. "It had been a while, and we weren't going to let ourselves lose another one. (Against Templeton), I was expecting a breaking ball and tried to put a good swing on it and trust my hands. (Against James), I had seen all of his pitches at that point by the time he threw that breaking ball up."
 
Once the Demons grabbed the lead, a pair of relievers shut out the Lumberjacks over the final four innings.
 
Freshman right-hander Logan Trotter (1-0) earned his first career win with two scoreless innings of relief. Trotter gave up a pair of hits in the sixth inning before inducing a key double play to end the sixth and set the stage for the Demons' six-run sixth.
 
"I had to come in and drive strikes, eliminate the walks," Trotter said. "(The double play) helped me settle in and helped the energy continue into the next inning when we were swinging it well."
 
Carter White closed the game with two scoreless innings of relief to notch his first save of the season.
 
Northwestern extended the lead with two runs in the eighth as Marsala led off with a single and scored on a double from Joe Siervo, who finished 3-for-5 with two doubles. Siervo scored on the play on a throwing error by catcher Jhett Creel.
 
Marsala, Menard and Siervo – hitting second, third and fourth for the first time this season in that order – went a combined 10-for-15 with six runs scored and six RBIs. Sam Ardoin matched a career high with three hits out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup.
 
"Sam Taylor's idea," Bertrand said. "So happy for Thomas. So happy for Joe to get back on it. When your guys are your guys, that's just dudes being dudes. Sam Ardoin, three hits tonight. Zach White had some good at-bats. (Michael) McAloose had some clutch at-bats mixed in there.
 
"When your dudes are dudes and when the bottom guys are feeding into the monster, that's really cool."
 
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. with a matchup of right-handers. Gabe LeBlanc (2-2, 5.63) will take the mound for SFA while Northwestern counters with Dylan Marionneaux (4-2, 4.04).
 
Northwestern State 11, Stephen F. Austin 8
SFA       500 030 000 – 8 17 2
NSU     300 006 02x – 11 19 1
W – Logan Trotter (1-0). L – Jack James (2-1). S – Carter White (1). 2B – SFA, Juan Cantua. NSU, Thomas Marsala III, Joe Siervo 2. HR – NSU, Marsala III (10). Highlights: SFA, Cermodrick Bland 2-5; Jhett Creel 2-5; Julian Swift 3-5, RBI; Mark Henning 2-5; Josh Ibe 2-5; Cantua 3-5, 2B, 3 RBIs; Coby DeJesus 2-5. NSU, Marsala III 4-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBIs; Ethan Menard 3-5, RBI; Siervo 3-5, 2 2Bs, 1 RBI; JT Simonelli 2-3, RBI; Michael McAloose 2-5, RBI; Sam Ardoin 3-4.
Records: Stephen F. Austin 22-21, 11-11; Northwestern State 24-18, 15-10.
 
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