Box Score HAMMOND – Tara McKenney's seventh inning bunt and a throwing error from McNeese's Dakota Matiko allowed the second-seeded Northwestern State softball team to defeat the first-seeded Cowgirls 3-2 in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals Saturday afternoon and advance to the tournament championship Sunday morning at North Oak Park.
 
The Lady Demons improved to 29-20 overall with the win, and McNeese dropped to 39-16.
 
Sunday's tournament championship game is tentatively scheduled for eight o'clock Sunday morning. The game will be broadcast on the Southland Digital Network since Saturday's inclement weather cancelled the chances of ESPN3 picking it up.
 
The game can also be heard on 100.7 KZBL in Natchitoches and on nsudemons.com.  
 
The Lady Demons will face the winner of tonight's 9:00 contest between McNeese and the winner of Sam Houston State versus Stephen F. Austin.
 
"We put up a tough fight today, and it paid off in the end," said sixth-year head coach Donald Pickett. "We treated this game like it was for all the marbles, and the girls played exactly like that."
 
Cheyenne DelaGarza led off the seventh with a single to short, and moved to second on a throwing error by shortstop Katie Roux. Shenequia Abby stepped up next, going deep in the count, and eventually drew a walk to bring up McKenney. Before McKenney's at-bat, Pickett subbed pinch runner Kayla Boening for DelaGarza at second.
 
McKenney watched a couple pitches cross the plate, and finally laid down a sacrifice bunt. Matiko fielded the bunt cleanly, but committed a throwing error trying to catch Boening stealing third. The ball dribbled past third base, and gave Boening enough time to scoot home for the 3-2 win.
 
Cali Burke broke the game open in the third after two scoreless innings with a two-RBI double to the left field fence to five the Lady Demons a 2-0 lead.
 
The Cowgirls answered in their next at-bat when they put runners on the corners with two outs. NSU pitcher Kaylee Guidry walked Taylor Goree on a passed ball, allowed one run to score, and a muffed throw from catcher DelaGarza from the back stop gave the tying run a chance to cross the plate.
 
Guidry (11-3) picked up the win in the circle, her second of the tournament, allowing just three hits and two runs, none of them earned, while striking out four in seven complete innings.
 
McKenney led from the plate with a 2-for-3 performance, followed by Burke with a 1-for-2 outing and two RBI.
Northwestern State 3, McNeese State 2