TULSA, Okla. – Currently on an eight-game road swing, the Northwestern State softball team heads to the Tulsa Tournament on Saturday for a pair of games, beginning with Creighton at 10:00 and the No. 21 Hurricane at noon, both at the Collins Family Softball Complex.
 
The Lady Demons (7-7) enter the weekend having won six of their last nine contests, while the Blue Jays (4-6) picked up just one victory at the UTA Hilton Invitational to bring their season win-total to four.
 
Tulsa has dropped just two losses to date, one of which to Georgia Tech at the Georgia Tech-Kennesaw State Crossover Tournament last Saturday, and the other to Florida Atlantic at the FAU Kick-Off Classic.
 
Having met just once in program history, the Blue Jays defeated Northwestern State 4-3 during the 2002 season at the Oklahoma Tournament. The Lady Demons hold a 2-1 advantage over Tulsa, last meeting in 2001 at the Texas-Arlington Tournament when NSU was victorious in the 7-3 contest.
 
Cassandra Barefield's leads the Lady Demons from the plate with 17 hits, six of them homers, and 16 RBI for a .447 average. Tara McKenney sits just behind with 16 hits for a .348 average. The Red Oak, Texas, native sets the standard for stolen bases with a team-high four-for-four mark.
 
Freshman Shelby Sells (2-2) has seen the most time in the circle at 29.2 innings, striking out 33 and allowing 28 hits. Fellow classmate Skylar Cagle (3-3) follows with 23.1 innings so far, sitting 22 batters down and giving up 27 hits. 
 
Starting all 10 games for the Blue Jays, Liz Dike registers a .273 average with nine hits and nine RBI. Alexis Cantu sits just behind at .261 with six hits and five RBI. From the circle, Becca Chagstron (2-3) has struck out 37 in 34.1 innings while allowing 31 hits and 20 runs, followed by Cantu who holds a 2-1 record and a 1.20 ERA.
 
Jill Barrett leads Tulsa with a .423 average, dishing out 22 hits and eight RBI. Erica Sampson has cranked out four homers off 14 hits so far, allowing her to lead the team with 15 RBI. Pitcher Aimee Creiger registers a perfect 6-0 record in the circle, allowing 21 hits and eight runs in 45 complete innings.
 
The Lady Demons return to Natchitoches on Tuesday for the 'State of Purple' softball/baseball doubleheader with in-state foe and nationally-ranked LSU, set to begin at 3:00 at the Lady Demon Diamond. Tickets for both contests are still available, and can be purchased online at nsudemos.com or by stopping by the ticket office in the field house on campus.
 
Southland Conference play begins on Saturday, March 8 as the Lady Demons head to league foe Houston Baptist for a three-game series slated to begin at one o'clock at Husky Field.