WACO, Texas – One crooked number inning in both of Northwestern State's games in Saturday's action at the Getterman Classic proved to be the difference in a win and a loss.
 
A three-run top of the third gave New Mexico (1-2) enough cushion to hold on for a 3-0 win in the first game, while a four-run first from Wichita State (1-2) proved the decider in a 7-6 win against the Demons (0-3).
 
"The two teams that we played today are really good teams and we put up a really good fight against them," head coach Jenny Fuller said. "We gave them all they can handle. I think that people are maybe underestimating us a little bit. I expect us to go in tomorrow with the same fight and we just have to keep working hard and things are eventually going to fall our way."
 
The patient Lobo batters put freshman Grace Birk, making her first career start, to work seeing 59 pitches in just over two innings of play. In the pivotal third inning, a walk and back-to-back singles set up the first run of the game, coming in on the inning's second walk.
 
A pitching change and bases loaded single to left, with two outs in the inning, brought in the final two runs of the game for the Lobos as reliever Mattison Buster silenced the bats from that point forward.
 
She allowed just two more hits the rest of the way, tossing the final 4.2 innings to give the Demons the chance at a comeback victory.
 
The New Mexico defense however had different plans, using some quick reflexes and strong defense to hold the slim margin of victory. On no less than four occasions they flashed the leather to prevent the Demons from starting a rally.
 
Brynn Daniel was robbed of a flare single on a diving catch by the shortstop and Sister Arnold had a bullet picked out of the air by the third baseman in consecutive plate appearances to start the fourth. The bad luck was exacerbated by the screaming double to the right center wall from Makynlie Jones, her first hit as a Demon, five pitches later.
 
"The defense of this tournament has been phenomenal so far," Fuller said. "We've seen some great defensive plays and made some ourselves. All we can do is keep hitting it, and eventually, it will fall our way."
 
The Demons had another prime chance to score in the fifth when Peyton Young and Aly Delafield both reached to start the inning. Hayden Andrews was robbed on a sharp liner right back up the middle and the next two batters popped out on the left side to end the last significant threat of the game.
 
In the second game the Shockers jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind a handful of base hits and pitches out of the zone. Two runs came in on wild pitches after a pair of RBI singles drove in runs and loaded the bases.
 
The authority with which the Demons hit the ball in the first game carried into the second, only this time their batted balls found the green more often than the leather.
 
Britt Bourgoyne's leadoff single in the third set the stage for the first run of the game two batters later on a single from Brynn Daniel. The first clutch hit of the game came in the next inning when JT Smith blooped a ball over first, her first hit as a Demon, to score two runs and pull the Demons within a pair at 5-3.
 
Brooklynn Stohler, who pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief, limited the Shocker bats during her time in the circle. She allowed just four hits and two runs, inducing her signature soft contact and giving the offense a chance to respond.
 
If not for back-to-back doubles in the top of the sixth that pushed the WSU lead to 7-3, the comeback would have been realized, thanks to another clutch piece of hitting from another Demon newcomer.
 
Makynlie Jones, who picked up her first career hit in game one on a double, missed tying the game with a grand slam by less than a foot in the bottom of the sixth with a bases-clearing double.
 
"We have high hopes for her, and we know what she is capable of doing," Fuller said. "What we love about her is that, during any at bat, she can hit the ball out of the park. That's why we brought her here and she's definitely proving us right."
 
The opportunity was set up by a Bourgoyne walk and back-to-back singles from Sophia Livers and Daniel.
 
The Demons brought the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, and nearly had it reach base if not for yet another spectacular defensive effort going against them on a diving catch to end the game.
 
NSU finishes play in the Getterman Classic with two more games on Sunday. They take on New Mexico at 11:30 a.m. before seeing host Baylor to close the weekend. Both games will air on ESPN+.