By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU z photographic Services
NEW ORLEANS – The third game of the Northwestern State baseball team’s three-game Southland Conference series at New Orleans played out in three acts.
Fortunately for the Demons, they wrote positive chapters in the opening and closing stanzas, holding off the Privateers for a series-clinching 10-9 victory at Maestri Field on Sunday afternoon.
“Everybody on our side is well aware that was not the sexiest baseball, but we’re also well aware that was probably the grittiest we can be,” second-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “In a win like that, what you truly want to do is remove all of the great things from it you can continue to learn and continue to clean up the things that ail you. You want to use it as a springboard moving forward.”
Northwestern (14-9, 7-5) won its fourth straight series at Maestri Field because of a mantra Bertrand has repeated throughout his year-plus as the Demon skipper – put up your fists and fight.
The Demons broke quickly, striking for three-run innings in the first and second against New Orleans starter Matthew Bienvenu.
After stranding 15 runners on base in a 3-1 loss on Saturday, Balin Valentine started the scoring with a two-run single in the first and Rocco Gump highlighted the three-run second with a two-run triple.
From there, New Orleans left-hander Zach Longshore handcuffed the Demons, allowing the Privateers (12-10, 6-6) to work their way back into the game.
Longshore blanked the Demons from the third through sixth innings, during which time the Privateers cut the six-run lead to one thanks in large part to a four-run sixth inning that included back-to-back home runs from Bryce Calloway and Tristan Moore.
Portending the final inning, Northwestern escaped the sixth with the lead because of a perfect defensive play as reliever Caden Fiveash snuffed out a potential game-tying squeeze bunt to get an out at the plate.
With the momentum firmly in the home dugout, senior center fielder Reese Lipoma swung it back to Northwestern by lining his first career home run to left field, leading off the seventh against Longshore.
“Long time coming,” Lipoma said of his home run, which came in his 116th career game. “It was a great moment in a big spot. We were losing our momentum a bit. They kept coming, punching at us. Big spot, got the dugout going and ended up pulling it out in the end.”
Northwestern needed another rally because the Privateers were not done punching back, tallying three runs in the eighth inning to take their first lead of the game.
The Demons, however, had one big swing left in them.
Trey Usey (0-1) hit Hudson Brignac with the first pitch of the ninth inning before Lipoma singled to left and Samuel Stephenson laid down a sacrifice bunt.
The Privateers intentionally walked Gump for the second time in the series, allowing Lipoma’s fellow captain, Clay Jung, to deliver a bases-loaded single through the right side that put the Demons on the right side of the late-game roller coaster.
“After they walked Rocco, you take that personally,” Jung said. “I said, ‘Come in here with a fastball.’ He did, and I delivered. We’re resilient. We never put our hands down, and we punched back.”
Daniel Burroway followed Jung’s go-ahead hit with a sacrifice fly that turned into a pivotal insurance run as the Privateers tallied a two-out run off Bryce Leonard (2-1) before Leonard retired Alexander Saunier on a grounder to first to secure the victory.
Lipoma and Burroway each had two-hit days for the Demons, who won their second consecutive road series in league play.
“That’s a Demon type of win,” Bertrand said. “We’re a never-say-die group. We’re a gritty group. Keep punching. There are so many great things about the baseball game, and what we lack in curb appeal, we make up for it in the way we put our fists up.”
The Demons return to action Tuesday when they open a four-game homestand by hosting Centenary. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Brown-Stroud Field.
Northwestern State 10, New Orleans 9
NSU 330 000 103 – 10 9 1
UNO 000 014 031 – 9 14 0
W – Bryce Leonard (2-1). L – Trey Usey (0-1). 2B – NSU, Daniel Burroway. UNO, Karson Evans, Collin Loupe 2. 3B – NSU, Rocco Gump. HR – NSU, Reese Lipoma (1). UNO, Bryce Calloway (9), Tristan Moore (4). Highlights: NSU, Lipoma 2-5, HR, RBI; Burroway 2-4, 2B, RBI. UNO, Adrian Dominguez 2-3, RBI; Calloway 2-5, HR, 3 RBIs; Evans 2-5, 2B, RBI; Loupe 3-4, 2 2Bs.
Records: Northwestern State 14-9, 7-5; New Orleans 12-10, 6-6.