STARKVILLE, Miss. – Northwestern State fell short in both games of Saturday's action at the Bulldog Invitational presented by C Spire, but were able to take multiple positives from both games.
 
The Demons (2-17) scored a season-high nine runs with three multi-run innings in a 17-9 run-rule loss to Alabama State (2-16). Against the No. 20 ranked Mississippi State in the second game of the day, freshman Brooklyn Stohler and the defense held the Bulldogs (17-2) to just three runs in a 3-2 loss to finish the day.
 
"We were obviously frustrated and disappointed with how the first game ended because we thought that was an opportunity that we let go," head coach Jenny Fuller said. "But the good thing was that we did hit and our offense was there. 
 
"So we gave them the message in that second game that we had nothing to lose and Mississippi State was going to be a lot better than Alabama State so we needed to dig deep, be gritty and show what we have. I think they absolutely did that."
 
The runs came in bunches for both teams in NSU's day two rematch with Alabama State.
 
The Demons took a quick lead thanks to a leadoff triple from Sophia Livers and RBI groundout from Bailie Ragsdale just two batters into the game. The on run scored in the frame was one of just three half innings that did not see at least two runs cross home plate.
 
Alabama State took the lead in the bottom of the inning on a pair of singles, but the Demons had an immediate response in the second.
 
A pair of walks and a wild pitch put two in scoring position for Camryn Becnel's go-ahead double. Two wild pitches later and Becnel was back in the dugout celebrating a run scored and the Demons' 4-2 lead.
 
The next 11 runs however were scored by the Hornets.
 
A five-run second gave them back the lead and a six-run third extended it further. A pair of two-run doubles in the second and two more in the third provided the key hits for the Hornet offense.
 
Of the 11 runs scored during the middle two innings, seven of them were unearned because of five Demon errors.
 
The Demons cut into the lead in the fourth with a two-out rally. DJ Lynch brought in two on a single to left center with the bases loaded and back-to-back walks scored another with Carissa Hernandez drawing the bases loaded free pass to make is a 13-7 game.
 
Two more runs came in one hits from Brynn Daniel and Riley Schwisow in the fifth, pulling the Demons back within four at 13-9.
 
Three walks, a double and three straight singles from Alabama State in the bottom of the inning provided enough offense to secure the run-rule victory.
 
Livers (triple and double), Lynch and Becnel each had two hits in the game with Lynch and Becnel each driving in a pair of runs. The Demons also stole a season-high four bases in the game led by Daniel's two.
 
Although the offense had a tougher time against the No. 20 ranked Mississippi State in the second game, the efforts of Brooklynn Stohler in the circle led to a tight game that came down to the final out.
 
The Bulldogs took the lead on a two-out home run in the bottom of the first, and although they produced base runners in each of the next four innings, Stohler and the Demon defense kepts the deficit at just two runs.
 
"Brooklyn went out there and did an awesome job," Fuller said. "That was the best that I've seen her look all year and it was against the best hitters that she's faced. They were intimidating and big but she didn't let that get to her. And we were able to score a couple of run too so felt like it was a pretty good finish to the day." 
 
With no strikeouts in the game, the Demons played stout defense behind Stohler converting every single chance they had into an out. With runners on second and third and no one out in the fifth, pop ups to Tori Clayton at second and Savannah Coleman behind the plate set up an easy fly ball third out to Cameron Curtis in left to keep the Bulldogs off the board.
 
If not for a leadoff home run in the sixth inning that stretched the lead to three, the Demons' seventh inning rally would have had much bigger implications.
 
NSU got two runners on with via a hit batter and a walk, and down to their final strike, Lynch drove a rise ball into the left center gap brings Schwisow in from second and Cash Herber all the way around from first making it a 3-2 game.
 
The tying run was left stranded at second on a pop up to third that ended the game.
 
Lynch made the most of her two hits on the day with four total RBI, while Daniel and Becnel each had hits in both games.
 
The Demons close out their final non-conference weekend on Sunday afternoon with a rematch against Mississippi State at 12:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.