After a rained out Friday night game, the Bearkats took on Northwestern State (12-11, SLC 6-5) in a double header Saturday.
The Bearkats (15-10, 6-6) didn’t fare any better than the weather conditions, committing three errors and giving up several early runs.
The game started well for pitcher Jacob Howard; he had two straight outs, but that was the end of his good inning. The Kats gave up two runs in the inning and managed to get out of the first relatively unscathed.
The Bearkats offense, however, was anemic to start the game and did not record a hit in the first two innings.
In the second inning, Howard struggled again, giving up a grand slam as a part of a five-run inning for the Demons.
Dallas Gallant entered the game in the second to relieve Howard and pitched a spectacular game. He started the game by retiring seven straight batters and recording seven strike outs.
The Bearkats recorded their first run in the bottom of the third when left fielder Justin Keithley hit a two-run homerun to left field.
In the fourth, the Bearkats continued to close the gap and scored on a wild pitch, bringing the game within four.
But the game wasn’t there for the Kats; they gave up two more runs in the top of the fifth.
The two teams dueled it out for the next four innings, both getting on base but never getting into scoring position.
The Bearkats made one last push in the bottom of the ninth when Keithley hit a two-run home run, but it was too little too late as the Bearkats fell to the Demons, 9-6.
Over the three game series, the Bearkats played hard but still lost the series. Saturday night the Bearkats won 8-7 in a late night game that was taken into extra innings. Keithley and Mark Wyatt both hit singles in the bottom of the inning to win the game.
On Sunday, the Bearkats lead early but lost the game 17-10.