RUSTON – The third baseball meeting of the season between Northwestern State and Louisiana Tech arrives Tuesday night, and with it comes a much different scenario for the Demons than the first two meetings between the teams.
 
When Northwestern and the Bulldogs tangle at 6 p.m. at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston, the Demons will do so coming off a stretch of five days without a game – their longest such break of the season. Tuesday's game will air on ESPN+ with radio coverage on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
 
Northwestern (25-20) last played Wednesday at then-No. 16/22 Arkansas, falling to the Razorbacks, 5-2. The Demons had their open weekend in conference play and treated it as such, taking the weekend away from competition.
 
"This is definitely a first for us as far as the regular season," third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "It seems though, as we've dealt with byes in the past, we've always had something on the schedule. So, this is a unique one. I think the rest came at a very welcome time for our team. Nonetheless, we got back after it (Sunday) night and we're looking forward to being able to get back out and compete with the guys and the challenge of playing a team like Louisiana Tech. I'm looking forward to not only how we can answer the bell of the challenge but also how we can use (Tuesday) night's game to be able to prepare us for – and propel us – into a great series that is on the schedule for the weekend and what it means for Southland play."
 
The Demons have dropped the first two games of the season series with the Bulldogs (28-21), who lost two of three games at Dallas Baptist this past weekend in Conference USA play.
 
Louisiana Tech is 5-5 across its past 10 games and is 10-5 since scoring a 7-0 win in Natchitoches on April 7.
 
"There was some level of design behind the schedule – the way we wanted to challenge ourselves three times against such a quality opponent and the way those games were spread out," Bertrand said. "We know we're going to get a team that is hot. We know we're going to go into an offensive ballpark against a potentially explosive offensive team. We know, just from seeing them twice already, what it is their bullpen has to offer. We know we're going to get challenged, so again, all of those things, we're going to compete our tails off and try to put the Demons in position to win the game, but we're also going to be grateful for the opportunity to learn so much from the challenge."
 
The Demons will send left-hander Carter White (1-3, 6.63) to the mound against Bulldog left-hander Luke Cooley (0-1, 8.78).
 
As they do so, the Demons also will battle the rest vs. rust theory.
 
"After three days off, I think sometimes you're going to have to knock off a little bit of rust," Bertrand said. "There was some level of rust that needs to be knocked off, but you could just really tell the way their bodies were moving, the way they had a look in their eyes, the way we saw great things in the weight room (Monday) morning. Our guys did well from the rest. They did well from being able to get away from it all, so to speak, and focus on a different aspect. Sometimes we get caught up in the challenge and the grind of the season – and you should be – but it gets to be so baseball-oriented that sometimes your bodies need rest, the fact that final exams are this week and academics need attention. When you're in the thralls of the baseball part of it mixed with that, it can sometimes be overwhelming. The idea they not only got rest but also got to catch up on and, hopefully, check some life things, check some of those boxes, I think you're going to see the benefits of that as we move forward."