Box Score SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team dropped the rubber game of a three-game series with Northwestern State on Sunday at Sullivan Field.  The Demons (27-21, 15-9) came from behind to win, 8-6.

The Cardinals (15-29, 6-12) and Demons split the first two games of the series and the finale looked like it had a chance for extra innings.  The teams were tied after seven innings at 6-all.  In the top of the eighth inning, Northwestern State got back-to-back singles from Nick Heath and C.J. Webster and then Joel Atkinson pulled off a squeeze bunt to put the Demons in the lead.

Northwestern State tacked on another run in the ninth inning.  Chase Daughdrill singled home Caleb Dugas to add an insurance run.  Brandon Smith picked up the win for the visitors by tossing 3.0 shutout innings of relief to close out the game.  He allowed one hit and struck out three.

The Cardinals held the lead three different times in the game.  They led 1-0 after two innings, 5-3 after three innings and 6-5 after five innings.  In the second, Jonathan Armijo (San Antonio/Highlands HS) doubled with two outs and then Dustin Cole (Tomball/Tomball HS) drove him in with a single up the middle.

In the third inning, the Cardinals had five hits and scored four times.  Slade Brown (Keller/Keller HS), Jesse Hoover (Marion/Marion HS) and Ethan McGill (Penn Valley, CA/Nevada Union HS) hit three consecutive RBI singles in the inning.  They scored their final run of the game in the fifth inning when Cole came through with a two-out triple to drive in Hoover.

The Cardinals finished the game with 10 hits.  Cole led the offense by going 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI's.  Hoover was 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI while William Triebes (Pflugerville/Hendrickson HS) went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.  Alex Shaffer (Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale HS) was handed the loss after allowing two hits and a run in an inning of relief.

The Demons piled up 12 hits and had three players with multiple hits.  C.J. Webster went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI while Bret Underwood and Daughdrill each had two hits.

The Cardinals are back in action on Friday at SLC rival Central Arkansas at 6 p.m.
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