BEAUMONT, Texas – Northwestern State suffered its second straight walk-off loss on Friday with Lamar scoring a pair in the seventh to come away with a 6-5 win in the series-opening game.
 
After a walk-off infield single at Louisiana Tech on Tuesday, the Demons (11-17, 0-4) dropped their second straight in their opponent's final at bat when a passed ball allowed the winning run to score, souring the otherwise win-worthy performance to start the weekend.
 
"They definitely made the type of adjustments that we worked on all week in the batters box," head coach Lacy Prejean said. "We had double-digit hits and we scored five runs. We stole bases, squeezed with two outs and did a lot of things right. We just didn't have all three phases come together today. 
 
"We gave away some free bases and they (Lamar) executed when they needed to. It's conference and every game is going to be tough and a battle. When you're playing on the road you have to take advantage of your chances and we missed some key ones late and we let them hang around."
 
The Cardinals took advantage of their first run-scoring chance when the first three batters of the bottom of the third reached base. An error, base hit and a walk loaded the bases with no outs.
 
After a ground ball to short led to the the force out at home a single up the middle brought in the first two runs of the game. A sacrifice fly to center added a third and gave Lamar the 3-0 lead after three innings of play.
 
The Demons generated an immediate response in the fourth thanks to another clutch hit from freshman Cameron Curtis.
 
Back-to-back singles put two runners on with two outs for Curtis. She laced the first pitch she saw the opposite way over the head of the right fielder for her first career triple to score two runs. Ashlyn Walker laid down a perfect bunt up the third base line on the next offering and within the span of two pitches the Demons brought in three runs to tie the game.
 
NSU's response was the second of four straight half innings in which the teams scored runs.
 
Lamar regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out solo home run to left center and threatened to add on with another hit and a walk to follow. Mia Liscano snagged a soft line drive just to her left and flipped to second for an inning-ending double play to escape the trouble.
 
She led off the next inning by reaching on an error and Bailie Ragsdale followed with a bunt single to put the first two on for the Demons. Taylor Williams fought off an outside pitch, putting it in play on the right side in the hole between first and second.
 
A wild throw to the second baseman covering the bag went down the right field line allowing both Liscano and Ragsdale to score easily on the play and give NSU the 5-4 lead.
 
Two pinch-hit singles in the top of the sixth from Kat Marshall and Lexie Roos gave NSU the chance for some insurance with two on and one out. Liscano moved both runners into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt but the clutch two-out hit did not come and the missed chance proved to be too costly to overcome.
 
The Cardinals led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and a bunt single to put the winning run on base with no outs.
 
Starting pitcher Kenzie Seely got the first out with a backwards K, and after intentionally walking the Cardinal clean-up hitter to load the bases, got a ground ball to second base. Unfortunately for the Demons the only play on the softly hit tapper was to first allowing the tying run to score and putting the winning run at third.
 
A rare passed ball, just the third of the season, during the next at-bat allowed the run in from third giving NSU its second straight heartbreaking walk-off loss.
 
The Demons had 10 hits in the game for the third time this year, with nine different players picking one up. 
 
Game 2: NSU 2, Lamar 0 (Postponed after fourth inning)
 
The Demons took an early lead in the second scheduled game of the day after the first two batters of the game reached and made their way to scoring position.
 
Tristin Court gave NSU the lead on a sacrifice fly to left scoring Bailie Ragsdale from third easily.
 
With a runner at second and one out in the second, Sophia Livers hit a sharp single to left bringing Ashlyn Walker around to score as she tapped her foot on the plate to avoid the tag and five NSU a 2-0 lead.
 
Starter Maggie Darr followed with two more shutout innings, picking up her fourt strikeout in four innings to end the third and a ground ball to second and fly out to left to strand a one-out double in the fourth.
 
As the Demons were coming to bat in the top of the fifth, Mother Nature finally made her way into the picture. 
 
A lightening delay put the game on hold for the next 30 minutes and with the impending forecast for the remainder of the night, officials with both teams decided to put the game on pause until the following day.
 
NSU and Lamar will resume game two of the series at 10 a.m. on Saturday and play the final 30 minutes following the conclusion of that game.
 
For any news and scheduling updates follow @NSUDemonsSB on Twitter/X.