LAKE CHARLES, La. – Fourth seed New Orleans staged an epic comeback in the ninth inning to earn a 7-3 win over fifth seed Northwestern State in an elimination game in the 2023 Southland Conference Baseball Championship on Friday night.
 
The Privateers are now 36-23 on the season and advance to take on top seed Nicholls in the championship game. Nicholls needs one win Saturday to take the title and automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, while New Orleans would need to beat the Colonels twice. Northwestern State’s season ends at 29-27.
 
New Orleans opened the scoring on Anthony Herron, Jr.’s two-run homerun to left field in the top of the second inning, plating Miguel Useche, who had led off with a walk.
 
Northwestern State halved that deficit in the bottom of the inning on a two-out rally. Gabe Colaianni doubled to right and scored on Gray Rowlett’s double to left to make it a 2-1 game.
 
The Demons took the lead in the fourth when Jake Haze hit a two-run homer to left field to score Daunte Stuart, who had reached on a single.
 
After the NSU bullpen performed admirably for most of the final five innings, UNO flipped the script in the ninth. Jeissy De la Cruz led off with a walk, pinch runner Maika Niu moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and Issac Williams tied the game with an RBI double to left center. After a groundout put the Privateers down to their final out, Tyler Bischke doubled to right center to plate Williams and give UNO the lead.
 
Mitchell Sanford singled to score a run and Useche drove in two with a double and within a matter of minutes, the Privateers’ outlook was changed with the 7-3 lead. The Demons did get one runner on via a single in the bottom of the ninth, but Nolan Daniel allowed no more and the Privateers advanced.
 
For New Orleans, Bischke went 3-for-5 and Sanford went 3-for-4, each with an RBI. Useche and Herron each drove in a pair. Collin Horton pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of hitless relief with three strikeouts and a walk to earn the win and move to 3-4 on the season.
 
For Northwestern State, Rowlett went 2-for-3 with the RBI double. Reliever Andrew Cossio fell to 0-1 after conceding the ninth inning rally.