By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
HAMMOND – Armed with a freshman making his first career start, the Northwestern State baseball team was pitch-for-pitch with Southeastern Louisiana in its Southland Conference opener Friday night.
The Lions, however, rose up against the Demon bullpen and handed Northwestern a 6-2 defeat at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
“We never really did anything as the game went along to grab momentum and get it back to our side,” second-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “I thought we competed really hard, and I thought we did some good things in the ball game that we can take from it. The difference in the game was we just didn’t particularly throw the ball very well coming out of the bullpen, and we didn’t do enough offensively to generate any type of spark.”
The Demons (4-5, 0-1) did not solve Southeastern right-hander Brennan Stuprich until the seventh inning when Daniel Burroway homered.
Burroway’s team-leading fourth home run of the season was the Demons’ first run against Stuprich (3-0) in 13 2-3 innings across his past two appearances against Northwestern.
Demon freshman left-hander Carter White (1-1), making his first career start, matched Stuprich through the first four innings, showing an ability to dance out of traffic on the bases.
White scattered two hits and worked around three walks in the first four innings to keep the game scoreless. White utilized his defense as well, getting help from third baseman Rocco Gump and second baseman Hudson Brignac on inning-ending plays.
“It was a great contingency plan that was put together by (pitching coach) Dan (Hlad), and we believed in it,” Bertrand said. “Carter White did a great job of taking advantage of that opportunity, and he did a great job of earning that level of belief. He threw the ball well. He did what a Friday night guy does in this type of environment against that type of opponent. For a true freshman, I thought he did an unbelievable job.”
White gave up a leadoff single to Ryan Brome in the fifth inning before the Demons turned to reliever Caden Fiveash. On Fiveash’s second pitch, TJ Salvaggio delivered a go-ahead, two-run home run that gave Stuprich all the offensive support he needed.
Stuprich, a preseason first-team All-Southland Conference selection, limited the Demons to three hits in eight innings with Burroway’s home run marking the first run he allowed in 16 2-3 innings this season.
Stuprich struck out 11 before Luke Lirette fanned two more despite allowing an RBI groundout to Braden Benton in the ninth inning.
“Complementary baseball is always what we’re in search of,” Bertrand said. “Tonight, we got it from the starting pitching, and we got it from the defense. We lacked it in the way of offensive execution. They are correctable thing that we can go right back to work (Saturday) and fix. I think we know we are a better baseball team than those types of things, but we have to now go out and play like it and complement each other.”
Samuel Stephenson had a pair of hits, including a ninth-inning double that set up Benton’s run-scoring groundout.
Salvaggio, Logan Walters and Giovanni Liccardi all had two hits for the Lions.
The series continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. matchup. Northwestern will send junior right-hander Tyler Bryan (0-1, 15.00) to the mound while Southeastern has not announced its starting pitcher.
Southeastern Louisiana 8, Northwestern State 2
NSU 000 000 101 – 2 5 1
SLU 000 021 21x – 6 11 0
W – Brennan Stuprich (3-0). L – Carter White (1-1). 2B – NSU, Samuel Stephenson. 3B – SLU, Jude Hall. HR – NSU, Daniel Burroway (4). SLU, TJ Salvaggio (1), Logan Walters (2). Highlights: NSU, Stephenson 2-4, 2B. SLU, Salvaggo 2-5, HR, 3 RBIs; Walters 2-3, HR, RBI; Giovanni Liccardi 2-4.
Records: Northwestern State 4-5, 0-1; Southeastern Louisiana 8-2, 1-0.