Box Score NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Four runs throughout three different innings gave Stephen F. Austin a 4-1 Southland Conference win over the Northwestern State softball team Sunday afternoon at the SFA Softball Complex.
 
The Lady Demons (13-14 overall, 5-4 SLC) dropped their first league series of the season with the loss, and the Ladyjacks (14-15, 5-3) won their second overall.
 
"We're having a hard time staying consistent right now," said sixth-year head coach Donald Pickett. "We needed to win this one today in order to capture the series, but we were just plain out-hit and out-scored."
 
SFA's Shalie Day put the Ladyjacks on the board in the second with a solo home run to left field, and the team added another in the third off a RBI double down the left field line from Brittany Lewis. SFA tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth to cap its scoring at four.
 
Junior Cassandra Barefield gave NSU its only tally, in the seventh, off a homer to center, her ninth of the season.
 
From the plate, Barefield put up a 1-for-2 performance and one RBI, followed by Amanda Fulkerson at 1-for-2 as well.
 
Senior Kaylee Guidry (5-3) started in the circle and suffered the loss, giving up four hits and two runs in 2.1 innings. Baylee Gray entered in the third, allowing two hits and two runs while striking out two in 3.2 innings of work.
 
Northwestern State will take the field again on Wednesday as it heads to in-state rival Louisiana Tech, with the first pitch slated for 6:30 in Ruston. The Lady Demons return home on Saturday for a three-game Southland Conference match-up with McNeese State starting at 2:00 at the Lady Demon Diamond.