NATCHITOCHES, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team picked up two of its biggest wins of the season on Saturday to clinch its Southland Conference series with Northwestern State at the Lady Demon Diamond.
 
The day opened with SLU (25-16, 11-6 Southland) defeating the host Lady Demons, 4-2, in a game that started on Friday and was suspended due to rain, forcing the final four innings to be completed Saturday. In the nightcap, Southeastern scored eight runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally for an 11-6 victory over a Northwestern State team (24-14, 11-6 Southland) that came into the series atop the Southland Conference standings.
 
SLU senior Rachel Hayes (10-7) scattered four hits in a complete-game effort to earn the win in the opener. Senior Maddie Edmonston drove in two runs, while senior Mahalia Gibson and junior Jaquelyn Ramon each had one RBI.
 
Northwestern State took a 6-3 lead with a five-run fourth inning, but the Lady Lions rallied by sending 13 to the plate in its final at-bat to clinch the series.
 
Southeastern finished with 14 hits, as Gibson, junior Rebecca Skains, sophomore Ali McCoy, freshman Ella Manzer, senior Alli Daigle and senior Kinsey Nichols had two hits apiece. Gibson led SLU with three RBI, while Edmonston scored three runs. Sophomore Alley McDonald (2-4) threw three scoreless innings in relief to set the stage for the Lady Lion comeback.
 
"These were two of the biggest wins we've had since I've been here," Southeastern third-year head coach Rick Fremin said. "For us to take the next step as a program, we have to win games against quality opponents like Northwestern State on the road. I couldn't be prouder of how we continued to fight in the second game."
 
The series wraps up on Sunday at noon. Links to live stats and video, provided by the hosts, will be available on the softball schedule at www.LionSports.net/watch.
 
Game One – Southeastern Louisiana 4, Northwestern State 2
Southeastern took advantage of a pair of Northwestern State errors to take the early lead. Edmonston was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on consecutive Lady Demon errors to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
 
SLU added to its lead in the top of the second inning. Daigle doubled and moved to third when Nichols reached on an error. Edmonston then laced a single into left centerfield to clear the bases and give the Lady Lions a 3-0 advantage.
 
After heavy rains halted play on Friday, the game resumed on Saturday in the top of the fourth inning. SLU quickly put a pair on with one out. However, NSU senior Micaela Bouvier (12-6) retired Edmonston and Ramon to keep the Lady Lion lead at 3-0.
 
Northwestern State cut into the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. A two-run home run by sophomore Kaitlyn St. Clair pulled the Lady Demons within one. The next three NSU batters reached to load the bases with two outs, but Hayes forced sophomore Sidney Harris to fly out to deep left to keep the lead.
 
SLU added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Ramon led off the inning with a single, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Gibson. That would be more than enough for Hayes, who retired the Lady Demons in order in the bottom of the frame to secure the win.

Game Two – Southeastern Louisiana 11, Northwestern State 6
SLU took the early lead versus NSU junior starter Mikayla Brown (9-4) in the top of the first inning. Brown hit Edmonston to leadoff the game, then Ramon bunted her into scoring position. Gibson laced an RBI single into right field to score Edmonston and stake SLU to a 1-0 lead.
 
Freshman Madisen Blackford walked, then McCoy singled to load the bases with two outs. Brown limited the damage by forcing Manzer to pop out to end the threat.
 
Northwestern State tied the game in the bottom of the third inning, as senior Lacey Hill loaded the bases by walking a pair and giving up an infield single to senior Sidney Salmans. St. Clair then drew a bases loaded walk to force in a run and knot the game.
 
SLU answered right back in the top of the fourth inning. Nichols singled, stole second and scored on an RBI single to right by Edmonston. Edmonston promptly stole second herself and then scored when Gibson lined an RBI single up the middle to put Southeastern up, 3-1.
 
NSU reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sophomore Emma Hawthorne chased Hill with a solo home run to left centerfield to lead off the frame. A single, a walk and an error allowed Northwestern State to load the bases against sophomore Tanner Wright with two outs. Sophomore Julie Rawls then cleared the bases with a grand slam to put NSU up, 6-3.
 
Southeastern threated in the top of the fifth inning, as McCoy singled, Manzer doubled and Daigle walked to load the bases with one out. However, Brown answered by retiring Nichols and Edmonston to maintain the three-run advantage.
 
McDonald tossed a pair of scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth innings to keep Southeastern within striking distance. It paid off in the top of the seventh inning.
 
McCoy reached on an error, then moved to third when Manzer laced her second double of the game into the left centerfield gap. Daigle then singled through the right side to plate McCoy. Nichols followed with an RBI single of her own to cut the lead to one, then Brown hit Edmonston to load the bases with no outs.
 
Ramon then hit a ball right at sophomore Adele Vincent at third. Vincent's throw home to force Daigle was wild and both Daigle and Nichols scored to take the lead.
 
Southeastern was just getting started, as Edmonston came home on an RBI groundout by Gibson. Skains then pulled a triple into the right field corner to score Ramon and give the Lady Lions a 9-6 lead. RBI singles by Blackford and Daigle capped the inning and sent SLU into the bottom of the seventh inning with a commanding 11-6 advantage.
 
"I had challenged our team to bat around in an inning during game two," Fremin said. "Everybody contributed in that final inning. We executed our game plan perfectly and we really performed at a high level today."
 
McDonald allowed Rawls to beat out an infield single to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. However, the Whitehouse, Tennessee native followed by striking out St. Clair and then forced sophomore Hayley Barbazon to line into a game-ending double play.