BATON ROUGE – Northwestern State gave fifth-ranked LSU just about all it could handle on Tuesday before the Tigers scored the game-winning run with a one-out bases loaded run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The loss was just the third in the last 11 games for the Demons who fell to 10-6 on the season.  LSU improved to 14-4 on the season.

The Tigers scored the game-winning run when pinch hitter Micah Gibbs singled in Derek Helenihi in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Demons (10-6) left six runners on base – all six in the first five innings of the game.  Perhaps the biggest stall came in the fifth inning with the score tied 1-1.  Shortstop Trent Grondin led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a Dan Meyer grounder, and was left stranded after Justin O’Neal struck out and Chase Lyles grounded out.

“That was a big turning point in the game,” said Demon head coach J.P. Davis.  “Grondin split the gap and Dan did a good job of moving him over.  We’ve got the 3-4-5 hitter up and can’t get him in.

“It was a big opportunity for us.  And in a game like this against an opponent like LSU, you’ve got to be able to take advantage of those opportunities and get the lead.”

Demon starting pitcher Ryan Zimmerman pitched superbly in his first collegiate start.  Zimmerman tossed five innings and gave up one run on just four hits and struck out two.

“For his first college start coming against LSU at the Box, he just competed his tail off,” said Davis.  “That’s what we’ve been stressing all along is getting competitive starts.”

Four relievers went the rest of the way and allowed one run on just two more hits.  D.D. Lott, who was credited with the loss, was the first out of the pen and threw three innings of one-hit, one-run ball with five strikeouts.

“Lott came in and stuck it in there,” said Davis.  “He got a little tired and I probably shouldn’t have made a call that I did against (Blake) Dean there in the ninth, but we’ll all learn from this.”

Both NSU and LSU each collected six hits in the game but the Demons were held hitless from the sixth inning on.

Grondin had two of the Demons’ hits.  He and O’Neal, who finished 1 for 4 in the game, extended their hitting streaks to nine games.

LSU scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Dean.

The Demons tied the game in the second on a Miles Parsons sac fly.

In the third, O’Neal reached on a one-out single and moved to second on a Tyler Baisley two-out base knock.  But the two would be left on base after Joe Urtuzuastegui struck out to end the inning.

LSU center fielder Jared Mitchell led the Tigers at the plate after going 2 for 3 with a run scored and a walk.