Friday, May 15
Beaumont, TX
6:00 PM
Stephen F. Austin
29-25
6
vs
4
(6) Northwestern State
26-25
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen F. Austin | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 2 |
| Northwestern State | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Four-Run Fourth Puts Jacks One Win Shy of SLC Championship Series
5/15/2026 9:55:00 PM | Baseball
SFA plays winner of (2) Lamar, (6) Northwestern State on Saturday night
BEAUMONT, Texas – Stephen F. Austin is a win shy of punching its ticket to the Southland Conference Championship Series. Behind a four-run fourth inning to overcome a 4-1 deficit and solid relief efforts from a trio of arms, the Lumberjacks moved past (6) Northwestern State 6-4 on Friday night from Vincent-Beck Stadium in Beaumont. The Jacks will await the afternoon elimination game winner between (2) Lamar and the Demons.
The Jacks produced 11 of the team's 13 hits through four innings of play and delivered a dominant four-run answer in the fourth after the Demons plated as many in the previous half inning to take a brief 4-1 lead. SFA was put on the board by Ethan Peña who hit his fifth homer of the season down the left field line for the game's first tally.
Half of NSU's third inning offense came via the long ball as a two-run shot exited off the bat of Joe Siervo to increase the Demons' lead to three.
SFA responded in a big way as Cermodrick Bland's second RBI single in as many days cut into the deficit. The Jacks continued to capitalize on a bases loaded situation as Julian Swift, the league's leader in hits and RBI, manufactured both as a two-run, two-out base knock back up the middle tied the contest at 4-4.
Mark Henning followed with a first pitch swinging singled dropped into shallow centerfield to chase home the speedy Bland from second base and give the Jacks a 5-4 lead. Henning added a second RBI and a sixth run for the Jacks in the sixth with a base knock into left center to score Jhett Creel.
Gabe LeBlanc worked the first three innings in a starting role. Elian Balmaceda earned the victory after 2.0 innings of relief and stranded the bases loaded in the fifth to keep the 5-4 lead intact. Ayden Terry tossed 3.0 innings and allowed just one hit and a walk to hold for Jack James who operated around a leadoff double and an eventual base runner at third in the ninth to pick up his third save of the season.
POSTGAME NOTES
The Jacks meet the winner of (2) Lamar and (6) Northwestern State on Saturday night at 6 p.m. with a berth in the SLC Championship Series on the line. Live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
The Jacks produced 11 of the team's 13 hits through four innings of play and delivered a dominant four-run answer in the fourth after the Demons plated as many in the previous half inning to take a brief 4-1 lead. SFA was put on the board by Ethan Peña who hit his fifth homer of the season down the left field line for the game's first tally.
Half of NSU's third inning offense came via the long ball as a two-run shot exited off the bat of Joe Siervo to increase the Demons' lead to three.
SFA responded in a big way as Cermodrick Bland's second RBI single in as many days cut into the deficit. The Jacks continued to capitalize on a bases loaded situation as Julian Swift, the league's leader in hits and RBI, manufactured both as a two-run, two-out base knock back up the middle tied the contest at 4-4.
Mark Henning followed with a first pitch swinging singled dropped into shallow centerfield to chase home the speedy Bland from second base and give the Jacks a 5-4 lead. Henning added a second RBI and a sixth run for the Jacks in the sixth with a base knock into left center to score Jhett Creel.
Gabe LeBlanc worked the first three innings in a starting role. Elian Balmaceda earned the victory after 2.0 innings of relief and stranded the bases loaded in the fifth to keep the 5-4 lead intact. Ayden Terry tossed 3.0 innings and allowed just one hit and a walk to hold for Jack James who operated around a leadoff double and an eventual base runner at third in the ninth to pick up his third save of the season.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The Jacks have won twice in the same postseason tournament for the first time since 2016
- SFA is a win away from the program's first 30-win season since 2011
- The Jacks received multi-hit games from five players, Swift, Henning, Peña, Coby DeJesus and Cooper Schneider, and multi-RBI games from Swift and Henning
- Swift recorded his 23rd multi-hit game of the season and his seventh with 3+
- Peña recorded his 18th multi-hit game this season; the second-most among all SFA hitters
- Coby DeJesus increased his active reached safely streak to ten games
- Henning has reached safely in 32 of his last 33 games
- Balmaceda and Terry each recorded two strikeouts
The Jacks meet the winner of (2) Lamar and (6) Northwestern State on Saturday night at 6 p.m. with a berth in the SLC Championship Series on the line. Live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
#LogByLog
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Balmaceda, Elian (3-1)
L: Robinson, Kevin (0-4)
S: James, Jack (2)
Batting:
HR: Peña, Ethan 1
RBI: Bland, Cermodrick 1 ; Swift, Julian 2 ; Peña, Ethan 1 ; Henning, Mark 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Bland, Cermodrick 1 ; Schneider, Cooper 1 ; DeJesus, Coby 1 ; Creel, Jhett 1 ; Peña, Ethan 2
HBP: Swift, Julian 1
Batting:
2B: Marsala III, Thomas 2
3B: Ardoin, Sam 1
HR: Siervo, Joe 1
RBI: Marsala III, Thomas 1 ; Siervo, Joe 2 ; Menard, Ethan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ardoin, Sam 1 ; Marsala III, Thomas 1 ; Siervo, Joe 1 ; Menard, Ethan 1
SB: White, Zach 1
Players Mentioned
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