Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern State
Demons Take Down 'Jacks
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2011
NATCHITOCHES, La. - The Northwestern State Demons exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fifth to break things open as the Demons picked up an out-of-conference win over SFA, 8-2, on the second day of the Northwestern State Invitational on Saturday at Brown-Stroud Field.
SFA (3-4) had plenty of chances offensively, stranding 11 runners on the day, but it was the Demons (4-2) who got a solid start from sophomore lefty Colin Bear and pushed across six runs on six hits in the fifth inning after driving Lumberjack starter Zack Taylor from the mound.
Taylor allowed just one earned run in just over four innings of work, but two errors behind him and six walks proved to be his undoing as he took his first loss of the season to even his record at 1-1. Bear earned his second win in as many starts for Northwestern State, keeping SFA off the board through 5.1 innings despite having to work out of numerous jams throughout the first five frames.
The Demons got on the board first in their first at-bat with a pair of unearned runs as an SFA error quickly cost the `Jacks. It all started with the leadoff man reaching on an error from SFA shortstop Jordan Lewis when Drew Helenihi scored on a one-out ground out from Stephen Gandy and Justin Martinez delivered a two-out single to give the Demons a quick 2-0 lead.
That was the only offense by either squad until the bottom of the fifth as SFA left eight men on base against Bear in the first four frames before the Demons exploded for six runs on six hits in the bottom of the fifth to break the game open against three SFA pitchers. Gandy and Martinez each picked up their second RBI of the day in the inning, but it was three two-out RBI on hits from both Will Watson and Helinihi that gave Bear plenty of cushion to work with.
SFA got a pair of runs back in its half of the seventh when Bryson Myles led off with his first homer of the year to left-center on the very first pitch of the inning. The `Jacks then got a two-out rally going, loading the bases after the Demons recorded a pair of outs, but again SFA could not come up with the big hit it needed, instead only scratching across one more when reliever Matt Lackie uncorked a wild pitch that scored Jarid Scarafiotti from third.
The `Jacks will close out the Northwestern State Invitational on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. when Justin Braddock goes against New Orleans.
-SFA-
