JOURNAL STAFF
NATCHITOCHES – Late in a tie game with the series outcome hanging in the balance Sunday, Northwestern State got its best hitter up at the right time and Dante Stuart delivered with a two-out, two-strike RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to produce a 5-4 victory over Stephen F. Austin.
It was the second go-ahead rap for Stuart, whose sixth-inning single pushed the Demons on top 4-3.
Larson Fontenot and Stuart combined for six of the 12 hits for NSU in the game with Benton product Cole Horton adding a pair in a 2-for-4 day at Brown-Stroud Field.
LSU 21, MAINE 6: Jay Johnson’s debut as LSU coach was a smashing success, as the Tiger hitters had their way with the Black Bear pitching staff all weekend in Baton Rouge. No. 3 LSU set a school record by scoring 51 runs in a season-opening weekend, topping the 1996 Tigers’ 45 runs against Western Kentucky. Sunday, the Tigers posted 11 runs in the first three innings. Cade Doughty drove in five and homered in a 3-for-3 day, and scored three times. Nine of LSU’s 16 hits went for extra bases.
LOUISIANA TECH 5, WICHITA STATE 3: In Ruston, the Bulldogs completed an impressive sweep of Wichita State as Jarrett Whorff was perfect on the bump in the first four innings and Greg Martinez threw three shutout frames. Kyle Crigger made his second strong appearance in as many days and earned his first save. Cole McConnell singled in two runs in the third inning, finishing with 6 RBI in the series. The Bulldogs won the first two games 7-3 and 9-6.
ALMA 7-2, CENTENARY 5-14: The Gents used a 7-run fifth inning to take the second game of a doubleheader in seven innings to gain a split with the Scots at Shehee Stadium Sunday.
LSUS 15, TEXAS A&M-TEXARKANA 5: The Pilots captured the weekend series 2-1 with the win on Sunday as Zyon Avery was 4-for-6 with a home run, double and 7 RBIs.
GRAMBLING STATE 11, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 7: The Tigers claimed two of three games in the Andre Dawson Classic played in New Orleans. In Sunday’s win over UAPB, GSU rapped out 11 hits with Cameron Bufford going 2-for-4 with a double and 3 RBIs and Trevor Hatton was 3-for-4 and scored three times.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 10, ULM 9: The Warhawks stranded 13 baserunners for the second consecutive game in dropping the series finale taken by the Salukis 2-1. Trace Hendry and Grant Schulz both had a pair of hits for ULM with Carson Jones driving in 3 runs with a home run. SIU scored 21 runs in its wins after being edged 1-0 Friday night.
Photo by GARY HARDAMON
