NATCHITOCHES – As much as a well-timed hit, or two, can win a game, not getting those same hits can help to lose them.
Such was the case for Northwestern State on Saturday seeing Texas A&M-Corpus Christi capitalize on pivotal moments with runners in scoring position, while failing to do so on its end, early in the game to take the 5-1 win in the series finale.
"They jumped out early and put us behind and their kid is a good pitcher so it made it tough trying to dig ourselves out of that hole," head coach
Donald Pickett said. "We just didn't have it today in all three phases and didn't look crisp or sharp in any of them. But we were able to get the series win which was a big deal coming into the weekend."
The Islanders (21-19, 9-9) got on the board in the bottom of the second on a two-run home run to left center with the Lady Demons (23-20, 9-9) one strike away from getting out of the inning with no damage done and stranding a leadoff walk.
The two runs came immediately after the Demons were unable to get a needed two-out hit after a
Keely Dubois double and
Kat Marshall walk in the bottom of the first inning.
Corpus pushed the lead to five in the third inning after the first two batters reached on a pair of singles and a throwing error allowed the first run of the inning to score on the intended sacrifice bunt. A third hit to right center scored the final two runs to make it a 5-0 game.
Reliever
Bronte Rhoden got the next three batters out in a row but the damage on the hit and error had been done.
Back-to-back base hits from
Bailie Ragsdale and
Taylor Williams with one out started the Demons' only run-scoring rally of the game in the bottom of the inning. After a fly out to left,
Kat Marshall poked one over the short stop for an RBI single bringing in Ragsdale but that was NSU's only hit with runners in scoring position on the day.
The Demons were 1-for-5 in their limited chances with runners on second or third in the game.
Ragsdale roped a one-out triple, the first of her career, to right center in the bottom of the fifth and the Demons brought the tying run to the plate after a pair of two-out walks to Dubois and Marshall. The final chance went by the wayside however on a sharp liner right at the short stop that left the bases loaded.
After the early runs, the NSU bullpen combination of Rhoden and
Ryleigh Denton put up five scoreless innings allowing four hits to give NSU the chance at the comeback and its first sweep of the season. Denton threw five shutout innings total on the weekend.
With two conference weekends left in the season the Lady Demons are now in a three-way tie for third in the league standings alongside Corpus and HCU. NSU won both series 2-1 against the Islanders and Huskies this year.
"We got the series win so hopefully we can come out next week, put the work in we need to for another big weekend ahead of us on the road next week," Pickett said. "It's our last road series of the year and we need to go out there and try and put everything together to build some momentum going into the conference tournament."
The Lady Demons travel to Texas A&M-Commerce for their final road series of the year.
