NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State set a program record for runs scored in a single game Saturday as the Lady Demons split on the second day of the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission Lady Demon Classic.
A patient Lady Demons lineup drew 22 walks and another two hit-by-pitches en route to a 23-4 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in five innings.
But NSU couldn't carry the offensive momentum over to the second game as the Lady Demons mustered one hit in a 3-0 loss to Murray State.
The Lady Demons (4-4) finish the Lady Demon Classic on Sunday with a 10 a.m. meeting with Murray State (7-2) followed by a contest with UAPB (0-9) around 12:30 p.m.
NSU 23, UAPB 4
NSU was holding on to a 5-4 lead through three innings before the inning to end all innings blew open Saturday's first game.
The Lady Demons scored 18 runs in the fourth inning as the lineup batted around more than twice in the record-setting frame.
Twenty-four batters came to the plate in that inning, contributing five hits, 15 walks and one hit-by-pitch. NSU produced nine total hits with four of those being bunt singles.
The linchpin to that inning was a
Hayley Barbazon bases-loaded triple that pushed a two-run NSU lead to 9-4.
Barbazon tied career-highs with four RBIs and three runs scored to highlight NSU's offensive onslaught.
Freshman
Kat Marshall (2-for-2) singled in a run and freshman
Kacee Mertens recorded her first career hit and RBIs with a two-RBI single.
Other career firsts in that inning included RBIs for sophomore
Sierra Stone (walk),
Savannah Bartay (hit by pitch) and
Sydney Lewis (RBI single).
UAPB struck first with a Leslie Arreola sacrifice fly, but NSU responded with five second-inning runs.
NSU drew walks to load the bases before
Elise Vincent had an RBI walk,
Cayla Jones drove in two runs with a single and
Alexis Perry (ground out RBI) and Marshall (sacrifice fly RBI) accounted for the damage.
Pitcher
Samantha Guile (1-0) picked up the win by working around six hits and four runs allowed (three earned) in three innings.
Thirteen different NSU players recorded an RBI, with two RBIs by Jones, Mertens, Perry, Marshall and
Jordan Dickerson.
Murray State 3, Northwestern State 0
Junior pitcher
Jensen Howell overcame a couple of early bumps to turn in a quality outing, but Murray State's Jenna Veber tossed a one-hitter in the Racers' win.
With a runner in scoring position, MSU's Jensen Striegel tripled and Logan Braundmeier singled to account for the Racers' two runs in the second inning.
Braundmeier (2-for-4) tackled on an RBI single in the fourth inning for the 3-0 lead.
But Howell (2-2) retired nine of the final 11 batters she faced, finishing with three runs allowed on seven hits and four walks with a career-high eight strikeouts.
Veber (1-1) worked her way through the first 12 NSU batters before an
Alexis Perry single in the fifth inning produced the Lady Demons' only base runner.
Murray State turned a double play two batters later as Veber faced the minimum 21 batters.
