Complete effort lifts Demons past Islanders in series opener

NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball team continues to be a quick study.

For the second straight Southland Conference series opener, the Demons worked their way into an opponent’s bullpen early in a Friday night game. This time, NSU took advantage.

The Demons capitalized on its early success against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a pair of late-inning scoring bursts, backing Cal Carver’s season-long outing in an 8-2 win against visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Brown-Stroud Field on Friday night.

“This is what we talked about today – the anatomy of a Friday-night win and the things that go into it,” sixth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. “We had a great start on the mound, played great defense behind Cal, fought hard with two strikes to move the ball and got some big hits. Bo (Willis) got the big one in the third, and then Gabe (Colaianni) gets the big one late. That’s what a good Friday-night win looks like.”

Northwestern State’s third straight victory was in doubt after the visiting Islanders (15-13, 2-2) sliced a three-run lead to 3-2 on Josh Caraway’s seeing-eye single against the shift.

Unlike a week ago in New Orleans, the Demons (13-12, 3-1) extended the lead against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi bullpen.

Colaianni’s RBI single started a two-run sixth inning and the NSU right fielder capped a career-high-tying, three-hit performance with an RBI triple to end the Demons’ three-run seventh.

“We talked about having a good approach before the game,” said Colaianni, whose leadoff double in the third inning starting a three-run rally. “We talked about being confident. I felt good in the box and let it fly.”

Colaianni’s third-inning double in a left-on-left matchup with Islanders starter Zach Garcia (2-2) ignited the Demon offense as he and two others came around to score on catcher Bo Willis’ second three-run double in the past two Southland Conference openers.

Willis’ double, which he hooked inside the third-base bag, provided all the offense Carver (3-2) needed in the early going.

The junior left-hander was sharp early and kept the Islanders scoreless until Nate White’s leadoff home run in the fifth inning. Carver recovered to retire the next three Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hitters before the Islanders strung together their lone extended offense against Carver in the sixth.

Caraway’s one-out single cut the Demons’ lead to one, and Carver loaded the bases with back-to-back hit by pitches before getting Justin Taylor to ground to shortstop Cam Sibley for the final out of the inning.

Carver ended his eight-inning effort by retiring the side in order in the seventh and eighth innings. He scattered six hits and struck out six while throwing a season-high 109 pitches.

“The first couple of innings, I was really rolling,” Carver said. “I was able to throw the fastball in there for strikes to both sides of the plate. In the middle innings, they found a couple of barrels and had a couple of seeing-eye singles. The defense made some great plays behind me, and I was able to keep executing pitches when I needed to.”

Once the Demons re-established a three-run cushion for him, Carver was determined not to let it slip away.

“Something I’ve struggled with at times this year is we got out and score, and I give up a run,” he said. “Having us score a couple of runs and then strike out the side was huge for me and for the team.”

The series continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. first pitch. Right-hander Hayden Thomas (4-1, 2.78) starts for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi against NSU right-hander Johnathan Harmon (3-2, 1.72), the reigning Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Northwestern State 8, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2
AMCC 000 011 000 – 2 6 1
NSU 003 002 30x – 8 10 0
W – Cal Carver (3-2). L – Zach Garcia (2-2). 2B – AMCC, Leo Markotic. NSU, Jeffrey Elkins, Bo Willis, Gabe Colaianni. 3B – NSU, Gabe Colaianni. HR – AMCC, Nate White (2). Highlights: NSU, Colaianni 3-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBIs.
Records: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 15-13, 2-2; Northwestern State 13-12, 3-1.