NATCHITOCHES – Saturday's finale followed a similar script Northwestern State has used often, but this story had a different ending in an 11-6 Southeastern win.
Julie Rawls' grand slam in the fourth inning handed NSU a 6-3 lead, resembling the Lady Demons' trend of producing crooked numbers in the middle to late innings.
But Southeastern responded with eight runs in their last at-bat on six hits and three errors to clinch the series.
Earlier in the day, the Lady Lions held on for a 4-2 in a game that started Friday and didn't resume until Saturday afternoon because of rain.
NSU (24-14, 11-6 Southland Conference) will attempt to take the finale Sunday at noon against a Southeastern (25-16, 11-6 SLC) team that tied the Lady Demons in a four-way tie for third.
McNeese and Nicholls are tied for the league lead after the Cowgirls took two of three from the Colonels.
Southeastern 11, NSU 6
NSU pitcher Mikayla Brown had a solid outing through six innings and a 6-3 lead.
But a leadoff error started a downhill tumble as the Lady Lions scored its first four runs to take a 7-6 lead without an out being recorded.
Single RBIs by Alli Daigle and Kinsey Nichols started the spurt before a throwing error scored an additional two runs.
A Mahalia Gibson RBI and a Rebecca Skains triple RBI built the Lady Lions a 9-6 lead before SLU added two more runs.
Southeastern opened the scoring in the first inning with a Gibson RBI single before NSU responded with a Kaitlyn St. Clair RBI walk to tie the game in the third inning.
But NSU left the bases loaded in that inning, stranding three of its five runners left on.
The Lady Lions took another lead (3-1) in the fourth inning with three consecutive hits, including RBIs from Maddie Edmonston and Gibson (three RBIs).
The Lady Demons responded with its big inning, started by an Emma Hawthorne solo home run that chased SLU starter Lacey Hill (two earned runs in three innings).
NSU loaded the bases on a Baleigh Glover walk, a Sidney Salmans single (2-for-3) and a two-out error that allowed Rawls to hit her second grand slam of the season.
The Lady Demons have grand slams total this season.
Brown (9-4) finished with 13 hits and 11 runs allowed (four earned) with four walks. Brown skirted the Southeastern offense much like the the Lady Demons dodged rain drops in light rain showers Saturday as she stranded 13 runners including leaving the bases loaded twice.
Reliever Alley McDonald earned the win with three scoreless relief innings.
SLU 4, NSU 2
Southeastern grabbed a 3-0 lead Friday before rain washed out the opener, and the Lady Lions held on for a 4-2 win in the final four innings Saturday.
NSU responded with late offense as the Lady Demons scored two runs in the sixth inning to slice SLU's lead to 3-2.
Kaitlyn St. Clair smashed her second home of the season to score both runs, plating Madelyn Matt (doubled).
NSU worked to load the bases again, but SLU's Rachel Hayes got out of the inning with a fly ball as NSU stranded six runners.
Hayes allowed two runs on just four hits in a complete game.
After giving up three runs Friday, NSU starter Micaela Bouvier (12-6) threw three scoreless innings before allowing a seventh-inning run. She surrendered seven hits with three of her four runs allowed being earned despite NSU committing three errors.
