NATCHITOCHES -- The Northwestern State softball team has waded through three of the top four teams in the Southland Conference standings in the first four series of league play.
 
The Lady Demons (14-23-1, 4-8 SLC) sit in a tie for eighth place and are fighting for one of six league tournament spots as the conference season nears the midway point.
 
NSU will continue that fight this weekend as 10^th-place Incarnate Word (7-29, 2-10 SLC) visits Lady Demon Diamond for a three-game series starting Friday at 5 p.m. The series concludes Saturday with a noon doubleheader.
 
NSU coach Donald Pickett said he sees his team's potential in giving SLC leaders McNeese and Abilene Christian their only losses in the conference play to date, but he knows his team needs to make up ground in the coming weeks.
 
"We have to have a great weekend against UIW. If we do that, we can get right back in this thing," Pickett said. "If we get it going, we're going to be a tough out down the stretch.
 
"I don't really look at the standings, but I know that a great weekend at home will do a lot to help team confidence. I keep saying this, but it's not a physical problem with our kids. If we're confident in what we're doing, we can play with any team."
 
NSU was two extra-inning games away from winning series against Abilene Christian and McNeese. ACU won a 13-inning game, while the Cowgirls forced an eight-inning game they eventually won despite a 6 2/3 inning no-hitter from Katelyn Boles.
 
The Lady Demons most recently dropped a 6-2 game against ULM (Warhawks won all three matchups this season) as the visitors scored five runs in the last two innings.
 
"We had chances to win both series against the top teams," Pickett said. We weren't just in them, we had chances to win. If we can get on a little run, that will help their confidence tremendously."
 
The Cardinals are on a little run of their own. They've won two of the last three, avoiding a sweep by Houston Baptist with a series finale win and splitting a pair of midweek games with UTEP.
 
UIW's Danielle Ramirez is third in the league with a .365 batting average, but the Cardinals are ninth as a team (.238) and 11^th in runs scored (75).
 
NSU counters with senior Kellye Kincannon, who is in the top three in six major categories, including leading the league in doubles with 10. Kincannon's solo home run Wednesday was her 51st of her career, three shy of breaking former teammate Cassandra Barefield's NSU record.
 
The Lady Demons shook up the lineup this past week as freshmen Adele Vincent and Toni Hebert logged starts at new positions.
Vincent has started the last three at second base after starting 22 games at third base earlier in the season. Hebert started at first base Wednesday after logging 16 starts at shortstop.
 
UIW's pitching staff ranks last in the SLC in ERA (5.96) and home runs allowed (44).

But NSU's staff has struggled at times this season, ranking ninth with a 3.98 ERA and first in walks (166) and hit batters (49).