CORPUS CHRISTI – Northwestern State designated hitter Lance Lacoste drove in five runs, including a three-run, first inning home run, and Chad Sheppard picked up his ninth save of the season as the Demons defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 8-7 in Southland Conference baseball action Friday afternoon.

The win was the fourth straight conference win for NSU as it improved to 22-23 overall and 14-12 in league play.  TAMUCC fell to 17-34 overall and 8-20 in the conference.

Demon starting pitcher Ryan Zimmerman (2-3) won his second straight Friday start after he threw 7-2/3 innings and gave up six runs on 10 hits with six punchouts.  Sheppard finished off the game with his ninth save – one shy of the school’s single-season record of 10 set by Daniel Desclouds in 2005.  He allowed one run in 1-1/3 innings with a strikeout.

Islander reliever Brett Gibson took the loss after he gave up three runs, all unearned, in 1-2/3 innings of work.

Lacoste finished the game 2-for-5 with a career-best five RBIs and two runs scored.  It was his three-run homer in the first, his third of the season, that put the Demons on top early.

However, it would be the only hit NSU would get until the fifth inning when Dan Meyer and Chase Lyles led off with back-to-back singles to lead to a run.  NSU finished the game with 10 hits.

First baseman Justin O’Neal, who went 1-for-4 with three runs scored, extended his hitting streak to nine games after a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning, his team-leading 10th of the season.  Meyer and left fielder Colin Bear each went 2-for-5.

Islander left fielder Jeramie Marek led his team’s 12-hit attack with a 3-for-5 plate appearance with a RBI and a run scored.  Catcher Stephen Flora went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

The Islanders struck in the bottom of the first inning with two runs after Marek doubled to lead off the inning then scored on a wild pitch after he moved to third on a fly out by designated hitter Justin Greiner.  Third baseman Martin Parra followed with a solo home run to close the gap to 3-2.

AMCC tied the game in the fourth on a two out RBI single by second baseman Ernie Olivarez.

NSU went back up 4-3 in the fifth inning when Meyer and Lyles led off the inning with back-to-back singles.  A long fly out by O’Neal advanced Meyer to third then third baseman Joe Urtuzuastegui hit a grounder that scored Meyer to put the Demons on top.

The Islanders scored two runs in the sixth inning retake the lead at 5-4 before first baseman Weston Montgomery’s critical two out error that led to NSU’s three-run seventh inning.

O’Neal popped up a ball to Montgomery at first base that was dropped to allow O’Neal to reach the bag.  Urtuzuastegui followed with a double and Lacoste singled in both O’Neal and Urutzuastegui to make it 6-5 Demons.  Left fielder Colin Bear followed with a triple to score Lacoste to give the Demons their two run advantage.

Corpus got one of the runs back when Jacob Perales hit a two out, solo home run, but O’Neal’s blast in the ninth got the run back.

The series continues on Saturday with a 2 o’clock start.