HOUSTON – Runs in the first inning of both games of Friday's doubleheader gave HCU the support it needed to win both games over Northwestern State in the penultimate Southland Conference weekend.
 
The Demons trailed 2-0 after the first inning in both games, and while they rallied to tie it in game one, ultimately fell short 6-2 to start the day. A pair of early hits in game two soiled an otherwise masterful pitcher performance by Kenzie Seely in a 2-0 loss in the nightcap.
 
Game 1: HCU 6, NSU 2
 
Back-to-back base hits in the bottom of the first set the stage for the Huskies to take the early lead on the day. A two-out double to right center scored both runners before Maggie Darr ended the inning with a strikeout.
 
Two innings later the Demons got their own bit of two-out magic that scored a pair and evened the game. Poised for an even bigger inning, the Demons had the first potential run of their day thrown out at home on a perfect ball from left field, foiling the sacrifice fly and nearly squashing the Demon rally.
 
A two-out single from Bailie Ragsdale that never left the infield not only kept the inning going but scored Mia Liscano from second base without a throw. Tristin Court followed with her team-leading 45^th hit to drive in her team-leading 29^th RBI of the season after Ragsdale stole second base to reach scoring position.
 
The Huskies got the leadoff batter on base due to an error in each of its next two trips to the plate. Darr was able to work around the miscue to strand the runner in the bottom of the third, but not in the fourth as the first of two unearned runs in the game came in to score and put the Huskies back ahead 3-2.
 
Liscano made a diving stop near the bag at second to get an out on the run-scoring play, saving a potential second run and opening the door for Darr to get the next two batter out in order on soft pop ups.
 
She then started the fifth inning with a leadoff double to centerfield to represent the tying run. On a Taylor Williams single to right another perfect throw from the HCU outfield kept the Demons from scoring as the speedy Liscano was called out at the plate.
 
Court picked up her second two-out hit of the game two batters later but it was hit too hard to score Williams from second and the Demons stranded runners at the corners to end the inning and the final scoring threat of the day.
 
The Huskies added to their lead with an RBI triple to left followed by a sacrifice fly to left in the fifth, then picked up another run in the sixth on a throwing error on an infield single with two outs.
Both Court and Liscano went 2-for-3 in the game with three singles and a double. 
 
Maggie Darr threw her third complete game of the season in the loss but her three strikeouts in the game made her the 10^th pitcher in program history to record 300 career strikeouts. She accomplished the feat in just three full seasons of work for the Demons at nearly a strikeout per inning rate.
 
Game 2: HCU 2, NSU 0
 
Two hits within the first four batters, both balls that went right back through the middle accounted for the entirety of the offensive production in games two's pitcher's duel. 
 
Unfortunately for the Demons and senior Kenzie Seely, it was the Huskies that produced the two hits, the second of which scored two runs as the ball caromed off the second base bag allowing the second run to score without a play.
 
Seely got the next two batters out to end the inning, both with backwards Ks to secure her own pitching milestone of 100 strikeouts in a single season for the first time in her career. She ranks fourth in the Southland this season in strikeout, finishing the game with five total to give her 103 for the year.
 
The Huskies got their third hit of the game, a ball that bounced off the third base bag for a single, to start the second and then were held to essentially nothing for the remainder of the game.
 
Seely faced one over the minimum from the second through fourth innings, allowing just one baserunner on a walk that was immediately erased on a 6-3 double play from Mia Liscano to Kat Marshall.
 
The only other batter to reach base for the Huskies the rest of the wat came on an error in the fifth inning. Two straight ground outs on two pitches right back to Seely in the circle ended the inning with no damage done, and continued to give the NSU offense the chance for another comeback win.
 
"Kenzie was fantastic tonight," head coach Lacy Prejean said. "She gave us exactly what we needed in the circle in game two. She showed just how competitive she is coming back after that first inning and absolutely shutting them down. Couldn't ask for anything more from her. I'm so proud of what she did and wish we would have had the offense to back her up."
 
That comeback did not happen this time for the Demons however as Huskie pitcher Roni Grofman issued a leadoff walk to Taylor Williams to start the game, then retired nine straight batters on 25 total pitches and 11 straight overall before a two-out walk to Kennedy Reynolds in the fourth.
 
Those two baserunners and a Laney Roos free pass in the sixth were the only three baserunners for NSU in the game as Grofman sat down 21 of the 24 total batters she faced in the game.
 
Seely suffered the hard-luck loss in her 11^th complete game of the season, the fourth most in the conference this season, going 6.0 innings allowing two runs on three hits and only two walks.
 
The Demons and Huskies wrap up the three-game series with a Saturday matinee finale beginning at 12 p.m. that will air on ESPN+.