RUSTON – For the second straight game Northwestern State got locked into a tense pitcher's duel with its opponent.
 
Facing one of the top staffs in the nation in Louisiana Tech, the Demon trio of Maggie Darr, Ryleigh Denton and Kenzie Seely went zero-for-zero through the majority of the game before just the fourth Bulldog hit of the game gave them a walk-off 2-1 victory.
 
"We came in with a good game plan offensively," head coach Lacy Prejean said. "I knew they were going to be changing pitchers every six to nine outs and we were going to see several pitchers. We had a lot of opportunities the first four innings with runners on and didn't capitalize on them.
 
"Our pitchers did a great job of giving us an opportunity to win the game. They pitched under pressure all night in the sense that they didn't have the run support. Tristin (Court) came through with that RBI double and that's the game, who can execute when it counts."
 
In each of the first three innings of the game the Demons (11-16) got runners into scoring position with one out. It wasn't until Tristin Court's conference-leading 11^th double of the year that they took advantage of that situation.
 
Her RBI hit to right center scored Taylor Williams from second, who started the inning with a base hit of her own, and tied the game at one after the Bulldogs took the lead two batters into the game in the bottom of the first.
 
NSU starter Maggie Darr surrendered two hits to the first two Tech batters and was in danger of seeing the early lead grow. On an attempted double steal, catcher Ashlyn Walker threw out her conference-leading 10^thrunner of the season at third for the first out.
 
Darr induced a ground ball to short for the second and got a fly ball to left to end the inning and keep it a one-run affair. She retired the next six batters in a row, three coming on strikeouts, before handing the ball over the Ryleigh Denton in the fourth.
 
NSU nearly provided a massive response to Tech's run in the top of the second by loading the bases with one out after two hits and walk. A pop up to short and a strikeout left the bags full and with it NSU's only major crooked-number scoring threat.
 
Denton put up back-to-back zeros during her time in the circle working around a pair of walks in the fourth to strand two in scoring position. She retired the side in order in the fifth before walking the leadoff batter in the sixth and handing the ball to Kenzie Seely.
 
She got the next three batters in a row to end the inning and the first two batters of the seventh before the sixth of seven critical walks put the winning run on first for the Bulldogs.
 
After not getting a hit since the second batter of the game, the Bulldogs picked up two in the bottom of the seventh to win the game, neither of which left the infield.
 
Tech got its third hit of the game on an infield single just to the right of the second base bag with a walk on a 3-2 pitch loading the bases. A pop up in foul territory that would have ended the inning landed near home plate during the final at bat before a nearly identical hit to second allowed the winning run to score from third.
 
"We couldn't make the plays we needed to in the inning that would have extended the game," Prejean said. "We have the tools and the skills to do it, we just have to put things together and continue to show some fight and some grit. Show some will and competitiveness to win. That's the bottom line."
 
NSU had five hits in the game but were 0-for-7 with two outs and just 2-for-10 with runners on base.
 
The Demons return to conference play this weekend in a road series at Lamar beginning with a Friday doubleheader.