LOS ANGELES – A four-run fourth inning from Loyola Marymount doomed any chances Northwestern State had of picking up a win in the weekend finale of the SoCal Collegiate Classic and the Lady Demons fell 8-5 in the second game of a doubleheader to the Lions at Smith Field.
Another four-run span, split evenly between the fifth and sixth innings, gave Loyola Marymount (2-1) a 4-1 win against NSU in the day's first game. Northwestern State (0-6) will be in search of its first victory when the squad hosts Jackson State and No. 11/10 Baylor from the NHDDC Lady Demon Classic beginning Saturday.
"It seems like every game we had one bad inning," seventh-year head coach
Donald Pickett said. "We've got to sure things up to play seven innings of a ballgame and not six. That one bad inning kept haunting us. We've got to minimize that. We'll get back to work this week."
Sophomore
Kellye Kincannon finished the day 3-of-8 with her biggest hit coming in the form of a three-run seventh inning home run – her first of the season and 13
th of her career – at the time, bringing the Lady Demons to within three at 8-5 in Game 2.
Cassandra Barefield notched an impressive 3-for-4 outing in Game 2. The senior drove in two third inning runs on a double down the left field line; at the time giving NSU a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the third, however, LMU answered with two runs of its own helped by two hits and a NSU error. The miscue was one of three on the day for the Lady Demons.
In Game 1, freshman
Micaela Bouvier looked impressive, holding Loyola Marymount scoreless for four innings before the Lions scored two runs in the fifth inning and another pair in the sixth. She allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings while walking three and hitting two batters.
After LMU took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, NSU cut the deficit to one in the sixth.
Natalie Landry led off the inning with a double then stole third.
Kaytie Proctor picked up a single through the right side for her first RBI of the season. However, a double play and groundout shut down any further Lady Demon threat.
Landry went 4-for-7 on the day highlighted by a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in Game 1. At the end of the first weekend, Landry and
Micayla Sorosiak rank as the team leaders with each batting .400. The duo contributed two of the team's three opening weekend home runs.
"We had a chance to win a majority of these games," Pickett said. We're going to have to get more consistent so we don't have these lapses. It's early and you just tell (the team) we need to get better and we'll be where we need to be."
Fans can purchase tickets to next weekend's NHDDC Lady Demon Classic by visiting NSUDemons.com or by calling the NSU Ticket Office at (318) 357-4268. General admission day passes to the event are $9 for adults and $7 for children. Chairback seating can be purchased for $15.
