LAKE CHARLES – Northwestern State's late-game rally and tournament run ended in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday on a line drive double play and a 5-4 loss to Lamar.
 
After trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the sixth inning and climbed within a pair thanks to a three-run frame, the Lady Demons (25-27) pulled within a run on an RBI double from Makenzie Chaffin, putting the potential tying run at second with one out.
 
A four-pitch walk to Laney Roos put the winning run on first for the Demons best hitter during conference play on the season Tristin Court. She barreled up the second ball she saw on a line shot to the right of second base destined for the outfield and at minimum a tie game.
 
On a day were the margin between a win and loss for the Demons was as thin as it was all season, a highlight reel diving catch by Lamar's Nicolette Ramirez at second ended the game and the season for the Demons as she doubled off the runner at second base.
 
"It's been a tough week for us," head coach Donald Pickett said. "We got that win on Tuesday night but had to be there until midnight, yesterday we were there all day with the delays and we just started off slow today.
 
"I was really proud of them for finding a way and fighting back. They showed a lot of heart and character and did just about everything right but we just hit the ball right at them. They gave us a chance to win and sometimes it just doesn't go your way."
 
Leading up to the dramatic finally, the Demons missed chances in four of the first five innings to get on the scoreboard by getting the leadoff batter aboard one way or another. Bailie Ragsdale reached on an error in the first, Chaffin got to second on a single and error in the second, Ashlyn Walker doubled to start the third and Court walked to start the fifth.
 
None of those instances lead to a run for the Demons as Lamar took a lead in the first, added three more in the third and one more in the sixth.
 
The fifth time in the game the Demons got the leadoff batter aboard, on a Keely Dubois double, in the sixth, Kat Marshall wasted no time bringer her around with her second home run of the tournament on the first pitch she saw.
 
Roos missed a home run of her own by mere inches two batters later as the ball hit the top of the wall and bounced back in that put her on second base. Back-to-back singles, the second from freshman Camryn Ford, brought in the third run and sent the Cardinals to the bullpen.
 
The Demons stranded the bases loaded after the pitching change but had clearly seized the momentum. Reliever Ryleigh Denton breezed through the first 1-2-3 inning of the day for the NSU defense, getting the hot bats right back to the plate.
 
Dubois began the seventh like she did the sixth with a double, giving her 18 for the season and moving her into a third-place tie with Becca Allen (1997) and Brittney Jones (2005) for the most doubles in a season in program history, setting up the dramatic final sequence of plays.
 
The Demons finished the season with 79 total doubles, the second most in a single since under Pickett, missing an 80^th on a Marshall fly ball that was inches fair down the left field line but ruled foul that would have given NSU the leadoff batter at second in the fourth inning.
 
NSU finishes the season with a 25-27 record going 10-14 in conference play.