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WACO, Texas – After a tough first day at Baylor's Getterman Classic, the Northwestern State softball team bounced back to an extent Saturday by edging Liberty before narrowly falling to No. 21 Baylor.

The Lady Demons took Liberty to extra innings before sophomore Micaela Bouvier drove in the go-ahead run and then ended a serious Liberty threat for a 4-3 win in nine innings.

In the night cap, Baylor had to erase an NSU lead with a two-run sixth inning as the Lady Demons fell 4-3. 

NSU plated three runs in the fourth inning before Baylor scored the decisive two runs in the sixth inning.

NSU (7-4) will finish the tournament in the consolation game at 9:30 a.m. against Liberty.
 

Northwestern State 4, Liberty 3 (9)

Facing bases loaded with one out in the ninth inning, Bouvier and the Northwestern State defense made a stand to halt Liberty's momentum and record the one-run win.

Junior third baseman Jordan Rains gunned down a runner at home plate for the second out before Bouvier induced a game-inning line drive.

Bouvier (4-1) worked around two solo home runs in the second and third innings before each team scored an eighth-inning run with the international tie-breaker rule in effect (a runner on second base to start the inning). She finished with three runs allowed (two earned) on nine hits in nine innings.

The Sante Fe, Texas, native helped her cause at the plate with a 2-for-3 effort and an RBI. Bouvier doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning.

"We got our momentum going with that win, got the kids' confidence up," said NSU coach Donald Pickett. "We're capable of doing things to win, but we've got to be more consistent.

"Bouvier batted a little at the first of (the 2015 season) … but she's a capable hitter and can be as good as anybody in our lineup. We kept coming at them and had good at-bats against all four pitchers (Liberty) threw. Bouvier opened up the game with her hit, then she closed it out for us."

After entering the eighth inning tied 2-2, Rains drew a bases-loaded walk to push NSU's lead to 3-2. Liberty recorded the final two outs with bases loaded, then answered with a Deidra See RBI-single for a 3-3 tie.

Junior Kellye Kincannon (2-for-4) hit her third home run of the season in the first inning to give the Lady Demons a 1-0 edge.

Sophomore Sidney Salmans singled in Kayla Roquemore (pinch ran for Bouvier) for NSU's second inning. Junior Micayla Sorosiak also collected two hits in the win.
 

No. 21 Baylor 4, Northwestern State 3

The Lady Demons struck for three runs in the fourth inning to put a scare into Baylor, but the Lady Bears plated two runs to take a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning and hold on.

Junior pitcher Shelby Sells, one day after recording the loss in a 10-0 run-rule defeat, held Baylor (4-1) in check before Shelby Friudenberg produced a two-RBI double with two outs.

Sells (1-3), who wasn't helped by three NSU errors, allowed four runs on seven hits.

"I'm sure Sells gained some confidence by the way she pitched tonight. She gave us a chance to win," Pickett said. "I'm glad we gave ourselves a chance to win, because we didn't do that the first day.

"We did lots of great things, but we gave (Baylor) a lot, too. We let one get way. We've got to be more consistent and be ready to play every day."

NSU did its damage in the fourth inning, started by junior Micayla Sorosiak doubling in senior Natalie Landry. After a two-out error continued the inning, junior Jordan Rains drove in two runs with a single to right field.

Sorosiak, Rains and sophomore Hailee Rhodes each recorded two hits, totaling six of NSU's eight hits against Baylor ace Heather Stearns.

Baylor produced RBI-singles in each of the first two innings to grab a 2-0 lead.

Since the NSU record book started recording opponent's rankings in 2005, the Lady Demons are 0-39 against ranked teams after Saturday's narrow miss.