SAN MARCOS, TEXAS -- With starting pitcher Mikayla Brown leaving the game with an injury, junior pitcher Shelby Sells had to face a surging Texas State squad to protect a 1-0 lead.
 

Sells recorded three strikeouts in the final four outs to lift Northwestern State to a 1-0 win against host Texas State on Saturday in the CenturyLink Classic.

Sells struck out Taylor Webb to end the sixth inning and stranded two Bobcats (3-1) in scoring position. 
 

The veteran closed the door on Texas State with two more strikeouts in the seventh inning, working around a one-out walk to push NSU to a 3-0 start to the season.
 

"It was really sad watching Brown go down, but we have to try to keep our composure as a team, and we wanted to do it for Brown," Sells said. "I just tried to stay focused and not try to think about what just happened -- just wanted to focus on what was best for our team at that moment.
 

"Coming into that situation was nerve-racking. You have to remember to breathe, which is hard sometimes. I just kept taking deep breaths and thinking about each pitch as its own and not thinking about the whole. I wanted to make the best pitch I could each time, and if that resulted in a strikeout or a ground out, I just wanted to give my best for my team and for Brown."
 

Brown (2-0) twirled another gem in her second start this season, pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings with two hits, five striekouts and four walks. She lowered her season-ERA to 0.49.
 

NSU coach Donald Pickett said he doesn't know the severity of Brown's injury, but he's proud of his players for "controlling what they can control."
 

"There are reasons for everything that happens, and we have to understand that," Pickett said. "Our team has done a really good job of pulling together and understanding their roles. 
 

"Any time anything is asked of them, they've been able to step up. They've shown a lot of character in that respect. Hopefully we'll get good news and keep our heads up, but we've got to continue to work and continue to look at what we're trying to do. It's about being a team and doing it together. We're praying for Mikayla and praying for our girls."

Sophomore Sidney Salmans provided a boost offensively and defensively.
 

Salmans led off the game by stretching a hit into left field into a double. She scored the game's only run two batters later when junior Kellye Kincannon doubled down the left-field line. 
 

In the fifth inning, the centerfielder sprinted to shallow right field to make a diving catch. Texas State drew a walk in the next at-bat, but NSU recorded the final two outs without any damage.
 

"When I rounded first and saw it hit the ground, I thought I could get to second base because I am little faster than some runners," Salmans said. "(On the catch), those balls are always the hardest to read because you have the centerfielder, the right fielder and second baseman coming after it. The sun could have made it tough for the right fielder to read it, and I had a good feeling about it, so I called them off.
 

"Our confidence level is through the roof right now."
 

NSU started 3-0 for the first time since 1991 and will continue tournament play tonight at 5 p.m. against Abilene Christian. ACU (0-2) is Southland Conference member but won't play NSU in a series.
 

Kincannon finished 2-of-3 with one RBI (seventh of the season) as NSU totaled five hits. She has three multi-hit games and has gone 8-of-12 this season at the plate.
 

The Lady Demons faced ace pitcher Randi Rupp, who didn't allow another run after NSU's first-inning score. Rupp struck out nine batters in six innings with no walks.