LAKE CHARLES – After ducking and dodging runners in a Southland Conference Tournament win against Abilene Christian earlier Tuesday, the Northwestern State pitching staff couldn't repeat that performance in the late game.
The No. 7 seed Lady Demons walked 14 batters and gave up 12 hits as No. 3 seed McNeese took a 12-5 victory to send NSU to loser's bracket.
The Lady Demons will face the loser of No. 1 Nicholls and No. 4 Southeastern on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Starter Mikayla Brown (10-9) didn't make it out of the first inning as she was credited with four runs on four walks, recording just one out.
McNeese (37-19) started the inning with a bunt and two walks before Alexandria Saldivar plated the first run on a sacrifice fly to cut NSU's lead to 3-1.
The Cowgirls tied the game on a Brenique Wright single and Aubree Turbeville RBI walk before snatching the lead for good (4-3) on a Tayler Strother sacrifice fly off reliever E.C. Delafield.
The NSU bats carried momentum from its earlier win and knocked McNeese starter Alexsandra Flores for three runs on a Julie Rawls home run in the first inning.
NSU took advantage of a Cayla Jones walk and a McNeese error to maximize Rawls' 10th home run of the season for a 3-0 lead.
Delafield slowed the bleeding in the first inning, but McNeese added two runs in the second inning to build a 6-3 edge.
Morgan Catron hit a two-run home run before Delafield stranded two more runners – a pair of 13 McNeese runners left on.
NSU's offense wouldn't allow McNeese to pull away just yet as a Kaitlyn St. Clair double in the third inning and a Jones solo home run clipped the Cowgirls' lead to 6-5. Jones has three of her 10 home runs against McNeese this season.
But McNeese piled on five runs in the fourth inning to lead 9-5 and didn't look back. Five walks, including two RBI walks, propelled the inning, which included RBI singles from Strother and Lauren Brown.
Delafield left the game trailing 9-5 after allowing seven runs on seven hits and six walks in three innings.
Hayley Barbazon made her second appearance of the season, holding McNeese to an unearned run on three hits in 2 2-3 innings.
After a rocky first four innings, Flores (17-9) settled in to throw three scoreless innings to close out the win.
NSU drops to 1-3 this season against McNeese, who won a series in Natchitoches earlier this season.
