NATCHITOCHES – When two top-flight pitchers square off it's the team that is able to take advantage of its limited opportunities and get the timely hit that wins the game. That was exactly what happened on Thursday night as McNeese took a 1-0 series-opening win against Northwestern State.

A perfectly placed, two-out, seeing-eye single through the right side in the top of the third plated the only run of the game on one of just six combined hits on the night.

"They got the timely hit tonight and we didn't," head coach Donald Pickett said. "We were ahead in the count and their best player was able to sneak one through. We had a chance with one our best early and she couldn't have hit it any harder it was just right at them. That's the way it goes sometimes.

"One thing you can take away from this game is that we had a chance to win it. We've got to give a little more and find a way to make it happen tomorrow in those two games."

The Lady Demons (24-16, 6-4) had a chance to score early and often after an error and bunt single put the first two batters of the game on for NSU in the bottom of the first. Laney Roos connected on one of the hardest hit balls of the night but went right to the third baseman who stepped on the bag and nearly completed a double play.

That was the story of the game for the NSU offense. Maggie Black drilled a double to the wall in left center to start the bottom of the third setting the stage for a potential tying run. The next three batters went down in order leaving Black standing at second.

NSU made solid contact all night but each time the ball found its way into a McNeese glove. Tristin Court's one-out base hit to left in the bottom of the fifth was the final hit and base runner for NSU in the game

"We had some really good at bats throughout the game and squared some things up, but we had a lot of breakdowns too in our lineup," Pickett said. "You've got to win with consistency against a good team. We're trying to find our way a little right now on offense. It magnifies everything in the circle and on defense when you're not hitting."

The NSU defense and pitching thrived once again, even under the magnifying glass of how the game played out.

Sage Hoover allowed just two hits through six innings, giving up a non-threatened single with two out in the top of the seventh, while the defense stood tall on multiple occasions.

Bailie Ragsdale doubled off a runner on a fly ball to center, Keely DuBois was in perfect position backing up a fly ball to left and Tristin Court showed off her arm behind the plate throwing out potential base stealers to end two different half innings.

"They had a lot of stolen bases on the year coming in and Tristin was aware of that and she did a great job," Pickett said. "Being in the right coverages helps and everybody was focused in on doing their job. Tristin has a great arm behind the plate, we executed well and those are huge momentum shifts and not giving them an extra base is huge and hopefully that will bode well for us tomorrow."

Court had one of NSU's three hits, along with Black's double and a bunt single from Taylor Williams.

Hoover took the tough-luck loss throwing her fifth complete game in her last six starts giving up just one run on three hits with five strikeouts.

NSU and McNeese play the final two games of the series in a Friday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.