By: Brittany Russ, Sports Information Graduate Assistant
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HATTIESBURG, Miss – Tara McKenney's lone RBI in the bottom of the 10th sealed the win for the Northwestern State Lady Demon softball team over Southern Mississippi 3-2. The Lady Demons also defeated Louisiana Tech 6-4 earlier in the day at the Southern Mississippi tournament Saturday afternoon.
“When Tara gets going there isn't any stopping her,” said head coach Donald Pickett. “The entire team played so well today.”
The Lady Demons improve to 10-2 as Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi fall to 5-5 and 6-10 respectively.
With two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Shenequia Abby singled to left center to give NSU some momentum. Abby was able to steal second and advance to third on a throwing error. With two strikes, McKenney launched a grounder to right center and sent Abby home for the win.
Kaylee Guidry (3-1) threw for 10 complete innings in the circle to keep the Lady Demons alive. She struck out three and allowed only seven hits as she faced 39 batters.
The Golden Eagles started out hot in the first inning as they claimed their only runs of the game off of an NSU throwing error.
Natalie Landry and Jordan Palmer kept the Lady Demons alive in the sixth and seventh innings as they each robbed the Golden Eagles of home runs.
Against Louisiana Tech, Cheyenne DelaGarza and Cassandra Barefield cranked out their second homers of the season in the fifth inning.
NSU grabbed three runs in the first as Brianna Rodriguez and Brittany Virgoe grabbed RBIs to put the Lady Demons up 3-0.
The Lady Techsters grabbed runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but they would not be enough as NSU shut them out the seventh.
Brooke Boening (3-1) threw for 5.1 innings allowing just four hits. Guidry earned her first save as she struck out two in the remainder of the game.
The Lady Demons face Louisiana Tech at nine o'clock and will make up for Friday night's rain suspension against the Golden Eagles at 1:00 on Sunday.
NSU returns home next weekend as they host the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission Lady Demon Classic beginning on Friday at noon.
