Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

HAMMOND – Brianna Rodriguez sent four runners home throughout the course of the Northwestern State softball team's double-header with Southeastern Louisiana to lead to a two-game split as the Lady Demons fell 3-2 in game one and came back with the 4-1 win in game two of the twinbill Saturday afternoon at North Oak Park.

The Lady Demons improve to 35-11 overall, 16-6 in the Southland Conference, as Southeastern drops to 30-18 overall, 12-11 in the league.

Both contests seemed to have similar scripts as the Lady Demons picked up two runs in the first inning of each game. In game two, Tara Mckenney led off with a single to left field, was pushed to second on a sacrifice bunt from Brittany Virgoe, and later stole third. McKenney was driven in on a RBI single from Rodriguez.

Later in the inning, Natalie Landry sent a sacrifice fly to left center to score Rodriguez and take the 2-0 lead.

The Lady Demons had an extremely similar first inning of game one as McKenney was walked, only to be sent home when Rodriguez rocked a shot over the left field fence for her sixth homer of the season, also giving NSU the 2-0 lead.  

Rodriguez would drive in McKenney in  the top of the fifth of game two to put the Lady Demons up by three.

Rodriguez led NSU with four RBI on the day as she went three-for-six. McKenney posted a three-for-four performance, followed by Cali Burke going five-for-seven.  

Southeastern was held scoreless until the fifth in both contests. The Lady Lions loaded up the bases in the bottom of the fifth of the second game to force a Northwestern State pitching change as Brooke Boening came in in relief of Kaylee Guidry.

Boening allowed just one run in the inning when Megan Moore reached on an error by McKenney and scoring Michelle Duhe.

Shenequia Abby singled in the sixth and moved to third off a hit by Mckenney. Virgoe grounded out to second to allow Abby to score the insurance run and take the 4-1 lead.

Southeastern put a runner on base in the seventh but was unable to combat the three-run lead put up by the Lady Demons.

Guidry (11-3) picked up the win and Boening earned her first save of the season striking out three and allowing just one hit.

The Lady Lions picked up three runs off of four hits in the fifth inning of game two. Duhe knocked down a bunt to lead off the inning and was pushed to second off a sacrifice bunt from Katie Lacour.

Designated player Amanda Sather walked and Duhe advanced to third on Sather's ball four wild pitch. Kelsey Nichols doubled to left field and sent both runners home, tying the game at two.

Katie Doyle singled to first base and advanced to second on a throwing error by Rodriguez. With the error, Nichols would score and give the Lady Lions the 3-2 advantage.

The Lady Demons left four runners on base throughout the sixth and seventh innings as they were unable to put any across the plate.

Kylie Roos (13-3) struggled against the SLU as she threw 4.2 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs. Guidry entered in the fifth to strike out one and allow just one hit.

“We struggled in the first game today, but our efforts in the second game gave us the win,” said head coach Donald Pickett. “The team bounced back and didn't let the first game get to them.”

The Lady Demons will finish out the three-game series with the Lady Lions on Sunday at 12:00. NSU travels to No. 12 LSU on Tuesday before wrapping up the regular season when they host Sam Houston State Saturday at one o'clock.