HAMMOND, La. – In a wild game that featured a combined 20 hits and nine errors, the Southeastern Louisiana softball team's rally fell just short in a 9-8 loss to Northwestern State in the series opener Friday evening at North Oak Park.
 
The loss was the first Southland Conference home defeat suffered by the Lady Lions (19-21, 8-8 Southland) this season. Northwestern State improved to 17-25-1 overall and 7-9 in league play.
 
The top four batters in the Lady Lion lineup combined for all of the team's nine hits. Junior outfielder Kinsey Nichols (3-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 runs), junior outfielder Kalyn Watts (2-for-4, 2 3B, 2 runs, 1 RBI), sophomore shortstop Jaquelyn Ramon (2-for-4, 3 runs) and junior infielder Mahalia Gibson (2-for-4, 2 RBI) carried the offensive load for SLU.
 
Northwestern State took the early lead in the top of the first inning. RBI singles by Jordan Rains and Hayley Barbazon staked the Lady Demons to an early lead.
 
Southeastern evened the ledger against NSU starter Mikayla Brown (10-10) in the bottom of the first inning. Watts led off the game with a triple to centerfield and Nichols drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Gibson followed with a double to right to score a pair and knot the game at 2-2.
 
NSU took the lead for good in the top of the third inning. A two-run double by Barbazon and a pair of SLU errors fueled a four-run inning and gave Northwestern State a commanding 6-2 lead.
 
Southeastern cut into the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Ramon reached on an error, which Nichols and Gibson followed with singles to load the bases with one out. Ramon scored on a fielder's choice and Nichols raced all the way home on the play to pull SLU within 6-4.
 
The Lady Lions pulled even closer with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ramon beat out an infield single, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Nichols to cut the lead to 6-5.
 
Senior Kasey Nielson had kept Northwestern State at bay through three innings out of the bullpen, but the Lady Demons finally got to the relief specialist in her fourth inning of work. A two-run home run by Kellye Kincannon and an RB I single by Barbazon put NSU up, 9-5.
 
Southeastern put a scare into the Lady Demons in the bottom of the seventh inning. Junior catcher Carlie Whittington reached on an error, then scored when Watts ripped her second triple of the game into right centerfield. After Ramon beat out an infield single, she stole second. The throw down to second by Emma Hawthorne skipped into centerfield, allowing Watts to score.
 
Nichols then flared an RBI single into left centerfield to score Ramon and cut the lead to 9-8. Gibson followed with a sharp grounder that Micayla Sorosiak fielded and tried to force Nichols at second, but her throw was wild to put runners on first and second with no outs.
 
That would be as close as Southeastern would get. Brown settled down to retire freshman designated player Mattie Ort, freshman second baseman Ali McCoy and junior third baseman Alli Daigle to strand the potential go-ahead runs and give the Lady Demons the victory.
 
The series wraps up with a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at North Oak Park. LionVision subscribers can access a live video stream (no audio) of the twin bill at www.LionSports.net/watch.