NATCHITOCHES, La. – Big days by senior Katie Lacour, junior Mychal Truxillo and sophomore Brittney Wingate were not enough for Southeastern Louisiana as the Lady Lions allowed Northwestern State to rally for a sweep in a Southland Conference doubleheader Friday afternoon at the Lady Demon Diamond.
 
Southeastern fell to 22-32 overall and 5-21 in Southland Conference play with the two losses. Northwestern State is now 27-24 overall and 10-16 in league action. Both teams have been eliminated from Southland Conference Tournament contention.
 
In the opener, Northwestern State scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh and two runs in the ninth inning to rally for a 5-4 extra-inning victory. Truxillo and Wingate led SLU at the plate with two RBI each, as Truxillo and senior Amanda Livaudais had two hits apiece.
 
Senior Taylor Bishop (12-17) struck out six and gave up one earned run to receive another tough-luck loss in the circle for the Lady Lions.
 
In the nightcap, NSU used three home runs to rally from a four-run deficit and defeat the Lady Lions, 6-5. Lacour led SLU with three hits and tied her own single-game school record with four stolen bases. The Port St. Joe, Florida native scored three runs on the day, giving her a single-season school record 48 runs in 2016, breaking her previous mark of 46 that she set in 2015.
 
Truxillo drove in two more runs in the day's second game. Wingate, freshman Taylar Fuselier and sophomore Kinsey Nichols also had RBI for Southeastern in the nightcap.
 
The series wraps up with Saturday's regular season finale at 1 p.m. Live stats, provided by the host Lady Demons will be accessible at www.LionSports.net.
 
Game One – Northwestern State 5, Southeastern Louisiana 4
Northwestern State mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the first inning. After Bishop struck out the first two batters, she walked Brittney Jones, gave up a single to Natalie Landry and hit Micayla Sorosiak to load the bases. Bishop forced Jordan Rains to hit a slow roller to senior Amber Sather at first to get out of the inning unscathed.
 
Southeastern loaded the bases in the top of the second inning. Sather singled, Wingate reached on an error and Livaudais walked to pack the bags. However, freshman Jaquelyn Ramon was called for making contact outside of the batter's box to end the Lady Lion threat.
 
Southeastern took the lead in the top of the third inning. Nichols and Sather both drew walks to put a pair of runners on. Wingate followed with a sharp single to left field to allow Nichols to score and give the Lady Lions a 1-0 advantage.
 
In their half of the third, the Lady Demons put a pair of runners on with two outs after consecutive singles by Jones and Landry. However, Bishop struck out Sorosiak to keep NSU off the board.
 
Southeastern mounted the next threat, as Truxillo led off the top of the fifth inning with a double into the left field corner. Micaela Bouvier (15-10) recovered to retire Sather, Wingate and freshman Angelica Gutierrez to keep the Lady Lion lead at 1-0.
 
Northwestern State threatened again in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bishop hit Kellye Kincannon to start the inning. After she was bunted over to second by Kaylee Isenburg, Kincannon moved to third on a wild pitch to put the tying run 60 feet away with one out. Bishop kept her there by striking out Jones and Landry to keep the Lady Demons scoreless.
 
Southeastern added to its lead in the top of the sixth inning. Singles by sophomore Carlie Whittington and Livaudais put a pair of runners on with no outs. After Lacour reached on a fielder's choice and Whittington was thrown out trying to score, Nichols drew a walk to load the bases with two outs.
 
Truxillo came up clutch, slicing a two-run single to score Livaudais and Lacour. The run scored by Lacour was her 46^th of the season, tying her own single-season school record set a season ago. Lacour's record-tying run gave the Lady Lions a 3-0 lead.
 
Bishop had SLU down to its final out in the bottom of the seventh inning with a runner that reached on an error on base. Jones and Landry hit consecutive home runs to tie the score at 3-3 and force extra innings.
 
Southeastern re-took the lead in the top of the ninth inning. Nichols lined a shot into the left centerfield gap to open the inning. Kincannon was there, but dropped it. Nichols was hustling out of the box and wound up on third. One out later, she scored on a sacrifice fly by Wingate to give the Lady Lions a 4-3 advantage.
 
Northwestern State ended it in the bottom of the ninth inning. Kincannon reached on an error and scored one out later, when Jones hit a double off the centerfield fence to tie the score. Freshman Caitlyn VanHemelryck came in to relieve Bishop and promptly uncorked two wild pitches to allow the winning run to score.
 
Game Two – Northwestern State 6, Southeastern Louisiana 5
Southeastern took the lead against NSU starter Shelby Sells (10-12) in the top of the first inning. Lacour and Whittington opened the inning with consecutive singles and later scored when Truxillo hit a seeing-eye single through the right side. Lacour's run was her single-season school record 47^th of the season. Truxillo would later score on an RBI groundout by freshman Taylar Fuselier to give the Lady Lions a 3-0 lead.
 
The Lady Lions padded the lead in the top of the third inning, as Truxillo singled then later scored when Wingate drove a double into the right centerfield gap to give SLU a 4-0 cushion.
 
SLU looked to add to their lead in the top of the fourth inning. Consecutive bunt singles by Lacour and Whittington put a pair of runners on with two outs, but Sells forced Nichols to pop out to end the threat.
 
Meanwhile, senior Madison Vige' retired seven in a row before the Lady Demons got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jones lofted a bloop single into left field to lead off the inning, moved to third on consecutive wild pitches and eventually scored on a fielder's choice by Rains to cut the Lady Lion advantage to 4-1.
 
NSU cut further into the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Home runs by Kincannon and Landry chased Vige' from the game and pulled the Lady Demons within one at 4-3.
 
The Lady Demons took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth inning. A three-run home run by Kaylee Isenburg off of junior Kasey Nielson (2-3) gave NSU a 6-4 advantage.
 
Southeastern made it interesting in the top of the seventh inning. Lacour lined a leadoff single into left field then scored one out later, when Nichols snuck a double down the left field line to score Lacour. That was as close as the Lady Lions would get as Sells sat down Truxillo and Sather to secure the doubleheader sweep.