NATCHITOCHES – It was a case of death by a thousand cuts for Northwestern State in the Cypress Trophy series finale against Southeastern.
The Lady Lions (26-8, 8-1) sprayed 14 hits across the Demon Diamond on Saturday afternoon, all of them singles, to create all their runs in a 9-1 run-rule victory over the Demons (3-27, 0-9).
SLU had at least one hit in every inning but the fifth and had two or more hits in four of the six innings. It was a seven-run, seven-hit barrage in the sixth that turned the close, one-run game into a one-sided final score.
The Lady Lions second single of the first inning brought in their first run, scoring the runner from second, who picked up a base hit three batters prior. It was the first of three total two-out base hits that scored three of SLU's runs in the game.
Behind a solid start from
Brooklynn Stohler, the Demons kept the Lady Lions to just one run through the first three innings and only two runs through five, scattering the seven base hits to that point to prevent bigger damage.
The Demons' first hit of the game was also of the single-base variety as
Sophia Livers poked one to left with one out in the third. Two batters later
Aly Delafield got her sixth hit of the weekend on a base hit to right. After a steal of second though, the key two-out did not come for the Demons.
The second two-out single for the Lady Lions in the fourth moved them ahead 2-0, but the Demons cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning with the only extra-base hit of the day.
Carissa Hernandez placed a looping fly ball into the triangle behind third base for a double that scored
Brynn Daniel from first who drew a walk to start the inning. That served as the Demons third and final hit of the game as Lion pitchers retired five of the final six batters of the game.
Stohler provided the one-two-three frame in the top of the fifth the Demons needed to maintain control of the momentum, but SLU starter Macie LaRue did the same in the bottom half to hold the one-run lead.
With one out in the sixth, the Lady Lions rattled off five straight base hits, with each of the final four in the sequence bringing home a run, stretching the lead to the run-rule minimum. Four of the six went right back up the middle of the diamond or into center field.
NSU continues its four-game home stand on Tuesday night when it hosts Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m.
