YOUNGSVILLE – Two quality performances in the circle served as the baseline for Northwestern State's pair of wins on the first day of the Mardi Gras Mambo on Friday afternoon.
 
Kenzie Seely started the day with a career-best 12 strikeout performances in a 5-3 win against St. Thomas while Maggie Darr allowed just three hits with five strikeouts in a run-rule 9-0 win over Florida A&M to close the day.
 
Offensively the Lady Demons put the ball in play all day, forcing the defense to contend with the strong wind conditions. They took advantage of critical errors in each contest and picked up some key hits to secure the double header sweep.
 
NSU 5, St. Thomas 3
 
After two scoreless innings to start the day, the Tommies were the first to etch a number on the scoreboard in the third inning. A pair of singles put runners at first and second for leadoff batter Avery Wukawitz. Her fly ball to right bounced in front of the mesh fence and skipped through to the other side for a ground rule double to score the game's first run.
 
A bloop single over the head of third baseman Derika Castillo on the next pitch scored two more runs and gave St. Thomas a 3-0 lead.
 
The Tommies scored three runs in the inning on five hits serving as the only blemish to an otherwise dominant performance in the circle from Kenzie Seely.
 
Seely did not allow a hit in any of the other six that she pitched on the day. She had four three up, three down innings in the game including two separate instances where she struck out the side in order, coming in second and fifth innings.
 
Seely K'd a career high 12 batters in the complete game victory.
 
With Seely dealing in the circle, the Demon offense was asked to come through for their pitcher, and while it took longer than head coach Donald Pickett would have liked, the bats finally broke through in the fifth.
 
NSU put bat to ball throughout the game but had just two hits to show for it through the first four innings. Laney Roos started the key fifth-inning rally with a walk that was followed by three straight base hits, the third of which from Kat Marshall got the Demons on the board.
 
The ability to put the ball in play paid dividends with the bases loaded and two outs later in the inning.
 
Castillo put the ball in play with the bags full to the right of short stop and one wild throw to second later, the Demons had scored the tying run on a play that would have ended the inning. Makenzie Chaffin and Camryn Ford scored on the play to even the game at three and give the Demons momentum heading into the late stages of the game.
 
Bailie Ragsdale started the sixth with a walk and a steal of second. Two hits later and the Demons had the bases loaded for Keely Dubois. A four-pitch walk brought in the go-ahead run and two batters later Ashlyn Walker dumped a ball down the line in left scoring the insurance run to make it 5-3.
 
Seely worked around a pair of seventh-inning walks to get the final two batters on a grounder to third and end the game on a strikeout.
 
NSU 9, Florida A&M 0 (5 inn.)
 
Like in the first game, it was a batted ball by Castillo that served as the jumping off point for the NSU offense against Florida A&M.
 
With runners at first and second following two straight walk, a fly ball into medium deep left drifted enough in the wind to make for a slightly harder catch. As the ball bounced off the left fielders glove, two runs came into score and NSU jumped ahead 2-0 in the first.
 
The Rattlers threated to even to score two inning later after placing two softly hit balls in the perfect places between the defense to load the bases with one out. Darr got a critical second out with a swing and miss and ended the threat with a soft ground ball to the left side to keep it a 2-0 game.
 
The offense rewarded their pitcher's ability to get out of the jam in the bottom of the inning.
 
Back-to-back doubles from Dubois and Marshall, with a run-scoring wild pitch between them, doubled the Demon lead four batters into the inning. NSU loaded the bases again with a walk and infield single for Lexie Roos work a walk and pick up her first RBI of the season to make it a 5-0 game. 
 
Darr got the Demons back to the plate in just six pitches in the top of the fourth and the offense kept pouring on the runs.
 
A pair of base hits and a walk loaded the bags once again for NSU with just one out. Castillo drove in a run on a knock to left and Walker was hit by a pitch to make it a 7-0 game and put NSU in run-rule territory.
 
Vivica Hernandez picked no better time for her first collegiate hit as she slapped one through the right side to score two more runs and push the Demons over the magic number of an eight-run lead.
 
NSU didn't add any more runs in the inning, but didn't need to as Darr shut the door in the top of the fifth with three ground balls. Taylor Williams' diving stop for the final out punctuated the team win and Friday sweep.