Box Score

HAMMOND – Will Watson scored on a throwing error that snapped a 5-5 tie and opened a five-run ninth inning as Northwestern State withstood a ninth-inning rally by Southeastern and posted a 10-7 win to complete a three-game sweep Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

The win by Northwestern State (36-19, 22-10 Southland) clinched the No. 2 seed in next week's Southland Conference Tournament in Corpus Christi, Texas and will face No. 7-seeded Lamar at noon on Wednesday. Southeastern (39-17, 21-12 Southland) claimed the No. 3 seed in next week's tournament and will face No. 6-seeded McNeese State on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Southeastern built a 4-0 lead after five innings before Northwestern State came back with two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh to take a 5-4 lead. The Lions tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh before the Demons pulled away in the final inning.

Watson, who finished 2-for-5, led off the frame with a single up the middle off Southeastern reliever Josh Janway (4-2) before Eric DeBlanc beat out a throw from second baseman Brock Hebert for an infield single that put runners on first and second.

Oscar Garcia's attempted sacrifice bunt was fielded by Lion reliever Stefan Lopez, but his throw to third sailed past Chris Franklin that allowed Watson to score for a 6-5 lead. DeBlanc later scored on a wild pitch before Adam Roy, Colin Bear and Aaron Munoz each drove in runs for the Demons.

Southeastern, which stranded 12 men on base, loaded the bases off NSU reliever Chad Sheppard (2-0) with no outs in the ninth before Dustin Northcott came in to notch his first save of the season. Brock Hebert was hit by a pitch with one out that drove in Jeff Harkensee and cut the lead to 10-6 before Cody Gougler scored on Justin Martinez's throwing error.

The Lions, who were kept off the board in the sixth inning after loading the bases with no outs, could get no closer as Northcott fanned Trey Martin and got Cass Hargis to fly out.

Josh Cryer gave Southeastern a 1-0 lead in the second inning when he hit the first pitch from Mason Melotakis over the left-field fence. The Lions added a run in the fourth inning to take a 2-0 lead after hitting three straight singles with two outs, the last on Franklin's RBI hit to right that drove in Joe Sparacino.

Justin Boudreaux scored on a throwing error in the fifth for a 3-0 lead before Gougler reached on a two-out error, stole second and scored on Sparacino's single up the middle.

Northwestern State cut the lead in half in the sixth inning when Garcia hit a solo home run off Southeastern starter Tyler Watkins and Chase Lyles scored on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Baisley. The Demons staged a two-out rally in the seventh as DeBlanc doubled, Garcia hit an RBI single and a single by Roy scored two runs, including the go-ahead run on a throwing error.

Watkins scattered eight hits and allowed two runs in five innings for Southeastern, which was swept at home in a Southland Conference series for the first time since 2004. Harkensee went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles to increase his total to 26, breaking the previous school-record of 24 set by Ty Summerlin last season.

Cryer went 3-for-4 for the Lions, who outhit Northwestern State, 15-13, and turned three double plays. Janway took the loss for the Lions after allowing five runs – three earned – in three innings of work.

DeBlanc went 3-for-4 for Northwestern State to extend his school-record hitting streak to 28 games. Garcia also went 3-for-4 for the Demons while Lyles was 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

Sheppard, the third of four pitchers used by Northwestern State, pitched 3.1 innings, scattering seven hit but allowing two runs. The right-hander got into a jam in the sixth inning after the Lions led 4-2 and loaded the bases with three straight singles. Sheppard got out of the inning as he got a force out at home, a strikeout and a grounder back to the mound to end the inning.

Northwestern State.. 000 002 305 - 10 13 5 (36-19, 22-10 SLC)
Southeastern La..... 010 120 102 - 7 15 3 (39-17, 21-12 SLC)
Melotakis, Hennigan (5), Sheppard (5), Northcott (9) and Munoz. Watkins, Janway (6), Lopez (9), R. Boudreaux (9), Ott (9) and Cryer. W – Sheppard (2-0). Sv. – Northcott (1). L – Janway (4-2). E – Lyles (14), Baisley (5), Martinez (12), Watson (3), Melotakis (2), J. Boudreaux (16), Franklin (10), Lopez (2). DP - NWLA 2, SLU 3. LOB - NWLA 8, SLU 12. 2B – DeBlanc (15), Munoz (6), Watson (4), Harkensee 2 (26). HR – Garcia (6), Cryer (5). HBP - Hebert. SH – Garcia (3), Sparacino (4). SF – Baisley (4). SB – Baisley (10), Martinez (13), Gougler (4). T - 3:29. A – 1,052.