HOUSTON – Northwestern State delivered when the moments mattered most Thursday.
The Demons (11-13, 2-0) scored six two-out runs in a 7-1 win in game one and leaned on a clutch relief appearance from Mattison Buster to finish off an 11-6 victory and a Southland Conference-opening sweep of HCU (3-18, 0-2).
The two wins marked the first time since 2022 that NSU won the first two games of league play.
 
"Getting two wins to open conference play is just another step in the right direction for our team," head coach Jenny Fuller said. "We're continuing to grow and it was good to see us compete and execute when it mattered the most."
 
The Demons scored in six of the seven innings of game one, setting the tone for the doubleheader with the way in which they got their first two runs of the game – pressuring the defense.
 
JT Smith scored from second on a throwing error that rolled up the right field line to give NSU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the fourth straight game the Demons scored in the first inning of a game. The second run came in a similar fashion the next inning on a high chopper off the bat of Hayden Andrews that forced an errant throw by the third baseman allowing Riley Schwisow to score from first on the play.
 
Aly Delafield extended the lead in the third on a two-out double and two more two-out runs came across in the fourth with Smith driving in a run on a sac fly to center and Britt Bourgoyne following with a hustle double to left center to stretch the lead to 5-0.
 
Makynlie Jones scored with two-out in the fifth on a throw back to the circle from the catcher that got away from the pitcher. Brynn Daniel drove in another 2-out run in the sixth on a flare single to right to score Smith, giving the Demons a 7-0 lead.
 
The final six runs of game one came with two outs in the inning and five of the 11 runs in game two came with two gone in the inning.
 
The Demons used their speed to force the issue all day as well, swiping five bags in both games of the day, moving them beyond the season total from a year ago in just 23 games. The now 50 stolen bases on the season is already the second most by a Demon team in the past 10 full seasons, trailing only the 2019 team's 59.
 
The relentless offense was more than enough support for yet another dominating pitching performance from junior Mattison Buster.
 
Buster twirled her seventh complete game of the season and her third in the past three starts. She allowed just one run, after tossing five scoreless to start the game, scattering four hits across her 7.0 innings with four strikeouts.
 
"It was a great team effort today," Buster said. "We came through with some timely hits and our catchers did a great job behind the plate keeping everything under control. When everyone contributes like that, it makes a big difference."
 
After putting up a single run in the opener, the Demons pushed across three in the top of the first of game two, the fifth straight game NSU has taken the lead in the first inning.
 
Two different double steals of home, sandwiched around a Peyton Young single to shallow right put the Demons up 3-0 six batters into the game. In each of the first three innings of the game, NSU got the leadoff batter aboard and each time brought them around to score.
 
Sara Watson singled to start the second then scored on a Britt Bourgoyne RBI groundout three batters later. Makynlie Jones reached on an infield single to open the third, then after two quick outs, the Demons put up three more runs thanks to a base hit from Mckenna Rinewalt and a two-run single to center from Sophia Livers.
 
After building their second seven-run lead of the day, the thorn in the side of the NSU pitching staff in the early season, walks, came back to bite them again.
 
Two straight free passes opened the bottom of the frame, which was followed by three straight doubles and four HCU runs. Two more walks and a fielder's choice RBI groundout made it a new ballgame at 7-5.
 
Grace Birk, who entered the game in relief in the inning threw an inning and 2/3 getting out of the third-inning jam before handing the ball to Buster for the second time on the day in the bottom of the fourth.
 
With the tying run at first base, Buster needed four pitches to end the frame with a strikeout and halt any potential growing momentum for the Huskies.
 
Neither team scored in the fourth, fifth or sixth innings as Buster and HCU reliever Leah Hammock went toe-to-toe during that stretch. Looking for some insurance in the top of the seventh, the Demons came through in the pressure moments once again to secure the win.
 
Three straight hits from Jones, and pinch-hitters DJ Lynch and Abby Hollingsworth loaded the bases with no outs. Pinch-runner Cash Herber slid home safely on a passed ball and after a walk loaded the bases, Livers picked up her third RBI of the game on a single up the middle.
 
Smith brought in another run on her second sacrifice fly of the day to give NSU the 11-5 lead entering the bottom of the inning. A two-out triple down the right field line was all the Huskies could manage in the inning as Buster induced a ground ball to second for the final out to secure her second win of the day and her ninth of the season.
 
Six different players had multi-hit games across the doubleheader and seven different players drove in at least one run, Livers was the only player to bring in more than one runner on the day.
 
The Demons and Huskies close their conference-opening series on Friday beginning at 12 p.m. on ESPN+.