RUSTON – Northwestern State built two multiple-run leads Wednesday, but Louisiana Tech's offense roared back as the Lady Demons fell 9-7 in the midweek contest.

Leading 7-5 in the fifth inning, NSU (17-9) surrendered four runs and couldn't retaliate in its last two at-bats.

After loading the bases with two walks and a single, Tech's Morgan Turkoly drew a bases-loaded walk to slice NSU's lead to 7-6.

Then Sloane Stewartson cleared the bases with a double, and her three RBIs gave Tech its first and only lead, 9-7. Stewartson went 2-for-3 with four RBIs.

Louisiana Tech compiled 13 hits and seven walks in the win.

"We jumped on them and took leads of multiple runs twice, but we couldn't hold them down," said NSU coach Donald Pickett. "We didn't get great pitching performances from any of our three, and we couldn't find it.

"We put too many baserunners on, and it came back to haunt us."

In the first inning, it appeared that free baserunners would haunt Louisiana Tech.

Lady Techsters starter Preslee Gallaway retired the first two batters without incident, then NSU sent five straight batters to the plate to score four runs.

Cayla Jones and Sidney Harris (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) drew walks and Julie Rawls was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Hayley Barbazon drove in a run with an infield single before Emma Hawthorne plated three more with a bases-clearing double for a 4-0 lead.

Hawthorne went 2-for-4 in her sixth multi-RBI game of the season.

The Lady Techsters recovered two of those runs in their first at-bat with a Stewartson RBI and a double steal and throwing error.

Jones stretched NSU's lead to 5-2 in the third inning with a solo home run, her sixth of the season. Jones (3-for-3, 3 runs) has three home runs in the last 10 games to go with her team-leading 23^rd RBI.

Louisiana Tech responded with three runs in the third inning to chase starter E.C. Delafield.

A walk and two singles loaded the bases before Micaela Bouvier entered the circle. A wild pitch, a Bayli Simon sacrifice bunt and a Karlee Jensen RBI single tied the game, 5-5.
Delafield, a North DeSoto High product who was facing former teammate Simon, allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 2 1-3 innings in the no-decision.

???????Bouvier (8-3) took the loss with three runs allowed on three hits and four walks in 1 2-3 innings.

NSU produced consecutive doubles to strike for two runs in the fourth inning, regaining the lead 7-5.

After an Elise Vincent single, Cayla Jones and Sidney Harris each doubled with Harris driving in two runs. NSU accounted for 10 hits and made the most of three walks.

But Tech loaded the bases for the fourth time in its five at-bats in their four-run fifth. Mikayla Brown entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs before getting two infield pop ups.

???????Stewartson changed the game with her three-RBI double to seal NSU's fate.

The Lady Demons (5-1) get back into Southland Conference when they host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (8-20-1, 0-6 SLC) in a three-game series.