HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team will play its final Southland Conference road games of 2012 on Tuesday, when it faces league foe Northwestern State in a 4 p.m. doubleheader.
 
Live stats for Tuesday's games between the Lady Lions (10-31, 2-12 Southland) and host NSU (18-25, 6-10 Southland) will be available at www.nsudemons.com. Fans can also follow the action via Twitter at www.twitter.com/sluathletics.
 
Southeastern will be looking to bounce back from Saturday's narrow losses at Sam Houston State. Senior Vicki Honeycutt (4-4, 4.54 ERA) and junior Kenna Terry (3-14, 4.36 ERA) each had strong outings in the circle for the Lady Lions, but the Bearkats came away with a pair of shutout wins.
 
The Lady Lions are hitting .230 as a team heading into Tuesday's doubleheader. Sophomore second baseman Megan McCollum (.303), junior first baseman Ariell Van Hook (.279) and junior centerfielder Michelle Duhe (.275) are the top hitters for average for Southeastern. Duhe leads the team with 39 hits and 15 runs scored, while Van Hook has drawn a team-high 19 walks.
 
Senior catcher Meghan Gomez leads the team with a league-high nine home runs and 23 RBI. McCollum (12 RBI), Van Hook (4 HR, 10 RBI), junior outfielder Kelsey Nichols (2 HR, 13 RBI), sophomore shortstop Kayla Elswick (2 HR, 11 RBI) and sophomore first baseman Tori Sheppard (2 HR) are the other top power threats for the Lady Lions.
 
Senior outfielder Katie Matthews leads the team with seven doubles. McCollum, Van Hook and senior third baseman Trish Bliss follow with six doubles. Duhe has a team-high three triples.
 
Honeycutt and Terry have handled the majority of the pitching duties for a Southeastern pitching staff that has a 4.84 team earned run average. Junior Kati Morse (2-4, 3.78 ERA) and sophomore Jessie Browne (1-9, 7.45 ERA) have also seen action in the circle for Southeastern.
 
Northwestern State is hitting .259 as a team this season. Sophomore infielders Tara McKinney (.345), Cali Burke (.323) and Brianna Rodriguez (.315) are the team's top hitters for average. Senior first baseman Samantha Roberts leads the team with seven home runs, while freshman catcher Cassandra Barefield has six. Barefield and Roberts also hold down the top two spots on the team in RBI with 22 and 21, respectively.
 
Junior Kylie Roos (7-10, 3.17 ERA) is Northwestern State's ace in the circle. Junior Brooke Boening (4-5, 3.64 ERA) and senior Kelee Grimes (6-8, 3.73 ERA) have also seen significant action in the circle for a Lady Demon staff that has a 3.54 team ERA.
 
Southeastern is 27-66 all-time versus Northwestern State. Last season, the Lady Demons took two of three from the Lady Lions in Natchitoches.
 
Following Tuesday's action, Southeastern will return home to host Southland foe Stephen F. Austin for a two-game series. The series opens with a 6 p.m. contest on Friday and concludes on Saturday with a 12 p.m. meeting.
 
Friday will mark the program's inaugural “Shut Out Cancer”, as funds will be raised to help the fight against cancer. The event begins at 5 p.m. at North Oak Park with a silent auction and free event t-shirts and jambalaya while available. The silent auction will feature autographed memorabilia from several major sports stars, including New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, 13-time MLB All-Star Ken Griffey, Jr., NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr., as well as United States Olympian softball pitchers Jennie Finch and Cat Osterman.
 
Other items up for auction include several pieces of luxury jewelry. Gift baskets from several local businesses will also be up for bid. All proceeds from the silent auction benefit the American Cancer Society. Cancer survivors will receive free admission, free t-shirt and pregame on-field recognition.
 
Saturday's Southeastern-SFA softball game will be “Take A Kid to the Game Day” at North Oak Park. Children aged 12 and under will receive free admission. Live stats for the SFA series will be available at www.LionSports.net and fans can follow the action via Twitter at www.twitter.com/sluathletics.