Home runs back Carver as Demons blank Austin Peay

NATCHITOCHES – Relationships made the difference for the Northwestern State baseball team Saturday afternoon.

No more so than when those revolved around left-hander Cal Carver.

Carver spun seven shutout innings, working in sync with catcher Austin Kirkpatrick, and the Demons rode a pair of early home runs to a 4-0 win against Austin Peay at Brown-Stroud Field.

Northwestern State (5-4) has won four straight games, all at home. The Governors fell to 1-8 with the loss.

“Kirkpatrick and coach (Bobby) Barbier have been calling good games for me,” said Carver, whose season-opening scoreless streak is at 16 innings through three starts. “I’ve been doing my best to execute my pitches.”

Carver (2-0) was able to execute his pitches because of an early lead provided by his roommate Kendall Foster.

Foster drilled a home run on the fourth pitch of the game from Austin Peay starter Peyton Jula (0-3) for his third homer of the season. Two of Foster’s home runs have come in games Carver has started.

Working in sync with Kirkpatrick and armed with the early lead, Carver faced the minimum through five innings despite working only two true 1-2-3 innings.

The Demons turned three double plays behind Carver, helping the left-hander tie the longest outing of his career.

“Kirk calls the game for Cal when he pitches, or he has lately,” said fifth-year head coach Bobby Barbier. “He’s done a good job calling, and Cal has done a good job executing his pitches.

“The double plays earlier in the season were a struggle for us. Coach Spencer (Goodwin) has been working with them. They hadn’t been a struggle in the fall and early spring. It’s good to see that come back around.”

While Jula stranded the bases loaded in the first to limit the damage, he did not get as lucky in the second inning.

Jake Haze and Kirkpatrick opened the inning with consecutive singles before Daunte Stuart continued his torrid start to the season, homering for the third straight game – this one a three-run shot to left-center field.

Stuart finished 1-for-3 with a pair of intentional walks – both coming with two outs and nobody on base. Hitting behind Stuart, Foster went 2-for-2 and reached base four times, including a pair of walks.

“It’s amazing,” Stuart said. “I’m just thankful I can produce for my team. Whenever I don’t hit a home run or a double, they drive me in, and that’s what we’re all about.”

Less than 24 hours after the Demon offense picked up its pitching staff after a rare off night from the NSU bullpen, the arms restored order.

Right-hander Alex Makarewich followed Carver with a pair of perfect innings, striking out two, to complete the Demons’ first shutout of the season.

“We saw Cal get late in the game, which is something we haven’t seen from him yet because the pitch count got up there a little bit,” Barbier said. “It was good to see that, and it was good to see Alex come in, a freshman, in his third time out executing pitches in the strike zone.”

Northwestern State 4, Austin Peay 0
AP 000 000 000 – 0 3 1
NSU 130 000 00x – 4 7 1
W – Cal Carver (2-0). L – Peyton Jula (0-3). 2B – NSU, Jeffrey Elkins. HR – NSU, Daunte Stuart (3), Kendall Foster (3). Highlights: NSU, Foster 2-2, RBI.
Records: Austin Peay 1-8, Northwestern State 5-4.