HAMMOND, La. – Northwestern State fell victim to a pair of big swings in both games of Friday's doubleheader loss at the hands of Southeastern.
 
A first-inning grand slam in the opener broke things open early for the Lady Lions (25-9, 8-9) on the way to a 10-2 run-rule win with a seventh inning, walk-off home run ending the game two pitching duel 3-1 with the Demons (14-17, 4-4).
 
 Southeastern maintains ownership of the Cypress Trophy for the fifth consecutive season with the doubleheader sweep. The series finale between the two teams is set for 12 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+ or heard locally on 100.7 FM KZBL.
 
"We put ourselves in too many tough spots early in the day and against a good team that's hard to overcome," head coach Jenny Fuller said. "I thought we competed much better in the second game and Brooklynn (Stohler) gave us a chance, but we have to do a better job finishing innings and taking advantage when we get runners on. Tomorrow is another opportunity for us to respond."
 
Like they have done in 12 other games this season, the Demons got on the board first in the first inning. Leadoff batter JT Smith extended her reached base streak to 14 games by taking a pitch off the elbow guard to start the game.
 
A couple of groundouts later she stood at third base and slid home on a wild pitch during Aly Delafield's plate appearance that ended in the second walk of the inning and chased SLU starter Katherine Thiessen from the circle.
 
NSU stranded two runners in scoring position in the inning, something that haunted them the rest of the game. The Demons left eight batters on base and at least two in three of the first four innings of the game.
 
Mattison Buster's scoreless inning streak of 10.0 ended in the bottom of the first as three straight singles, including two of the infield variety loaded the bases. A would-be sacrifice fly to right on a 3-2 count and the first out was called back for an illegal pitch putting the runner at first and allowing the run to score without an out recorded. 
 
A second bases-loaded walk led to a pitching change and the, hugely detrimental to the NSU cause, grand slam from first baseman Brilee Ford to give Southeastern a 6-1 lead.
 
Following the tough start to the game, the Demons settled in to a competitive final five innings as reliever Grace Birk worked through various jams over 5.0 innings of relief, her longest outing this season.
 
The freshman struck out a career high six, including setting down the middle of the lineup in order on three straight strikeouts in the second and escaping a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fifth with back-to-back strikeouts.
 
NSU's only other run of the game came after Peyton Young started the fourth with a single to right. She scored from third on an infield single from Mckenna Rinewalt four batters later, but NSU again left two runners on base to end the inning.
 
A wild pitch and an error led to SLU runs in the third and fourth innings before three straight hits to start the sixth led to the game-ending base hit down the left field line from leadoff batter Shelby Morris.
 
After the offensive explosion from the scalding hot SLU bats in game one, sophomore Brooklynn Stohler had a large bucket of ice water for them in game two.
 
Stohler did what she has done so well for the Demons a year ago and used her movement and spin to get soft contact and easy fly balls for her defense to handle. She induced 11 fly ball outs in the game as she scattered three hits over the first three scoreless innings of work, stranding five Lion baserunners in the process. 
 
The first two-hit inning of the game, however, led to the first run of the game for Southeastern. With the bases loaded a walk brought in the first run of the game for the Lions, but a grounder back to the pitching circle and easy fly to center stranded the bases loaded and kept the Demons within one swing of a tie game.
 
That swing came in the top of the sixth when Makynlie Jones demolished a 3-2 pitch over the monument wall in left field for her second home run of the season tying the game at one.
 
Stohler got the Lions in order in the bottom of the inning, but the Demons were unable to capitalize on the momentum, going in order in the top of the seventh, setting the stage for the walk-off winner.
 
Morris hit a sharp single up the middle to open the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She was able to jog home as Maria Detiller took the first pitch she saw over the left center wall for the game winner.