Demons can't complete comeback, fall 4-2 - NSUDemons.com

ARLINGTON, Texas — Northwestern State’s bats finally showed up Saturday and the Demons got a competitive complete game performance by pitcher Clayton Cooper, but NSU stranded five runners in the last two innings of a 4-2 defeat at Texas-Arlington in Southland Conference baseball.

The Demons (10-8 overall, 4-3 in the SLC) and the suddenly-hot Mavericks (11-10, 4-4 after their fifth straight win overall) cap the three-game series Sunday at 1 with Northwestern hoping to salvage a game. UTA blanked NSU 5-0 Friday night with a three-hitter.

Saturday afternoon, NSU cracked 11 hits, two apiece by the top three batters in the lineup — Trent Grondin, Dan Meyer and Chase Lyles. Grondin stretched his hitting streak to 11 games while Meyer popped a solo homer to get the Demons on the board leading off the fourth, and singled in Grondin an inning later after his two-out double to close the visitors within 4-2.

UTA relievers Jason Mitchell and Adam Boydston escaped jams in the last two innings to preserve the outcome. It capped a day when Northwestern stranded nine baserunners.

Singles by Grondin and Lyles, followed by a two-out walk to Justin O’Neal, filled the bases for the Demons in the eighth but a grounder ended the threat.

In the ninth, pinch-hitter Lance Lacoste led off with a base hit and moved to third on a double down the left field line by Joe Urtuzuastegu one out later. Grondin lashed a liner snared on a leaping grab by UTA shortstop Tim Steggall for the second out, and Mavericks third baseman Evan Raley made a sensational grab and throw on a skipper down the third base line that retired pinch-hitter Trevor Geist to end the game.

“They made two great defensive plays to end the game and keep us from tying it,” said NSU head coach Jon Paul Davis. “Coop, it’s deceiving, he was lights out from the fourth on. He really competed, but we made some mistakes earlier and got a bad hop on what should’ve been a ground out that cost us a couple runs.”

Cooper gave up two runs in both the second and third innings as UTA cracked five hits and raced on top 4-0. The Demons’ senior right-hander retired 12 of the last 15 batters he faced and allowed only one hit, an infield single, in his last five innings to keep NSU in range.

Overall, Cooper (0-3) allowed eight hits and struck out four in his eight innings. UTA starter Nathan Long (2-1) worked into the seventh inning, scattering nine hits and striking out 10.

Davis was frustrated by NSU’s scoring woes. Including a 2-1 loss Tuesday at No. 5 LSU, the Demons have scored only three times in the last 27 innings.

“I’m pretty irritated. We have guys who have to make some adjustments to get our offense untracked,” he said. I”t’s a mental issue right now, and we’re getting out-competed in this series so far. We need to make the most of every opportunity. We left nine on base today, got punched out 12 times, and that’s got to change. Baseball’s all about making adjustments. Coop did that on the mound today and gave us a chance to win after not such a good start.”

NSU will start senior Kyle Broughton in Sunday’s series finale.