Box Score HOUSTON – Despite sending four homers over the fence, the Northwestern State softball team dropped a 9-8 decision to Southland Conference foe Houston Baptist Sunday afternoon at Husky Field.
 
The loss marks the 10^th of the season for NSU (10-10 overall, 2-1 in the Southland). HBU improves to 5-12, 1-2 with the win.
 
"We got ahead early and had four really big home runs, but it didn't seem to be enough today," said sixth-year head coach Donald Pickett. "We plan on getting back to work this week in order to be prepared for next weekend's conference games."
 
Briana Rodriguez got NSU off to a quick start with her second homer of the season in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Tara McKenney was walked, followed by Cali Burke with a single to pitcher Erin Mueller to bring up Rodriguez. The Rowlett, Texas, native sent a shot over the left field fence to give the Lady Demons a 3-0 lead.
 
Scoring continued in the second and third as Kellye Kincannon started off the top of the second with her own homer to left center, followed by another shot over left field from Brittany Virgoe in the third.
 
The Huskies cut the deficit to two in the fourth as they notched two runs off two hits, but NSU got out to a large 8-2 lead in the fifth starting with Cassandra Barefield picking up her seventh homer of the season when she cranked a two-run bomb to center field.
 
Virgoe stepped to the plate next and singled down the right field line and forced a Husky pitching change, Kendall Stiefel for Shannon O'Connor. Stiefel started off walking Brittney Jones to bring up Kincannon, who singled to right field, giving Viroge a chance to score.
 
HBU had a huge fifth inning picking up six runs off five hits, including a three-run homer from Alyssa Burnett, to tie the game at eight runs each.
 
The Lady Demons were held scoreless in the sixth and seventh as Melissa Herman sealed the win with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh, her third home run of the season.
 
Virgoe led from the plate with a two-for-three performance and one RBI, followed by Tara McKenney, also notching a two-for-three outing. Brianna Rodriguez had a team-high three RBI after going one-for-three on the day.
 
Shelby Sells (3-4) suffered the loss, throwing 1.1 innings and giving up four hits and three runs.
 
Skylar Cagle earned the start in the circle, throwing four complete innings, striking out just one and giving up four hits.
 
Northwestern State will return home on Saturday to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, also beginning at 2:00, at the Lady Demon Diamond.