NATCHITOCHES – Coming off a two-game sweep over the weekend against Stephen F. Austin, the Northwestern State softball will look to carry its momentum into a non-conference matchup against Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Lady Demon Diamond Complex.
 
NSU (15-23, 4-8 SLC) did not allow a run in the series against the Ladyjacks and garnered one-hit pitching performances from Kylie Roos and Brooke Boening. The duo picked up a pair of wins and combined for 17 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. As a team, NSU's 6.76 strikeouts per game ranks second in the Southland Conference.

 

The Lady Demons have been just as sharp at the plate. Samantha Roberts slugged at a 1.200 mark over the weekend and finished four-for-five with a pair of doubles to earn SLC Player of the Week Honorable Mention. She enters the contest on a seven-game hitting streak.

 

Cassandra Barefield blasted a grand slam in the 8-0 win on Saturday, and her five home runs on the year are just two behind Roberts for the team lead. Roberts' seven homers rank second-best in the conference behind Southeastern La.'s Meghan Gomez who has eight.

 

Cali Burke ranks eighth in the SLC with a .369 batting average. Tara McKenney is close behind at a .363 mark, and joins Roberts on a seven-game hitting streak.

 

LTU (18-19, 5-3 WAC) is coming off a three-game sweep over New Mexico State. Junior Melanie Goff leads the team with a .388 batting average and .597 slugging. Michelle Jones is the team's most frequent pitching option and holds a 2.38 ERA and 11-9 record in 126.1 innings.

 

NSU fell to the Lady Techsters earlier this season, 7-5, in a back-and-forth battle at the ULL Mardi Gras Classic on Feb. 17. The Lady Demons trailed 2-0, scored five in the fourth inning to lead 5-2, but allowed four in the sixth to eventually drop the decision.

 

Over the weekend, the Lady Demons will travel to Texas-Arlington for a two-game series on Friday at 6 and Saturday at 2.