SAN MARCOS, Texas – Northwestern State responded after an opening game loss to Texas State and cruised to a win against UTSA on the first day of the 2024 season.
 
The Demons (1-1) struggled to find their swing against the host Bobcats falling 7-0 in a combined no-hitter to open the season. They then exploded for 10 hits, five of them going for extra bases, and scored eight runs in an 8-2 win in the nightcap.
 
The victory was the first in the career of NSU's new head coach Lacy Prejean.
 
"It's exciting and I'm glad it happened tonight," Prejean said. "Our players played so well that second game. We executed. We scored every inning except for one. We had great, aggressive baserunning. We stole some bases. Had some two-out RBIs. That's what it's going to take to be successful and I was proud of the way they responded. Glad of the growth and maturity they showed between that first game and the second."
 
Game 1: Texas State 7, NSU 0
 
The Demon bats were held in check throughout the game with just two total baserunners in the game. Laney Roos reached on an error in the second inning and the Demons were then sat down in order over the next four until a two-out walk by Tristin Court.
 
The Bobcats capitalized on a pair of their run-scoring opportunities with a pair of big swings. A three-run home run in the bottom of the first got them out to an early 4-0 lead and a two-run long ball in the fifth, coming with two out in the inning, got them to the seven-run mark.
 
Outside of those two innings and those two swings, Texas State did not score and just four hits across the other four innings of the game in which they did not score a run. 
 
Game 2: NSU 8, UTSA 2
 
NSU showed discipline at the plate early in the second game, not allowing the desire to get the first hit of the season overwhelm them. Freshman leadoff batter Mia Liscano was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the first and was followed by two straight walk to load the bases.
 
Liscano scored her first career run on an error at short and the Demons picked up another run on a sacrifice fly to center from Tristin Court. The Demons jumped ahead 2-0 without the benefit of a hit. It wasn't until the second time through the lineup that the first base knock of the season fell for NSU.
 
With two out in the third, Court lined a ball into the left field corner for a double putting two in scoring position. Preseason all-conference catcher Ashlyn Walker traded places with her on a ringing shot into the left center gap to double the lead at 4-0 after three.
 
Game two starter Maggie Darr put up her fourth shutout inning of the game while picking up her sixth strikeout to get the offense back to the plate. She pitched 5.0 innings in the game with those six Ks allowing one run on five hits and did not walk a batter to earn her first win of the season.
 
The Demons tacked on to the lead in the bottom of the inning on a Taylor Williams RBI single. Court picked up her second of three hits in the game on a sharp single up the middle to open the fifth. On the first pitch of her third at bat of the game Walker launched a moonshot over the left field wall stretching the lead to 7-1.
 
"Hitting is contagious," Prejean said. "I knew once we got that first hit it was going to spread and we got two or three back-to-back, scored runs and the floodgates opened up for us a little. I challenged them to learn from that first game and know that we had more softball to play."
 
Two more doubles in the bottom of the sixth led to NSU's eighth and final run of the game when Court drove in Williams. Freshman Aly Delafield threw the final two innings of the game working out of bases loaded jam in the sixth to maintain the Demons' five-run lead at that point.
 
Court finished the game 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI with Walker coming in a 2-for-4 with a double, home run and four driven in. 
 
NSU continues play in the Texas State Tournament on Friday afternoon at 12:15 p.m. against Creighton.