NATCHITOCHES, La. – Two-run singles by junior Rebecca Skains and freshman Ella Manzer helped Southeastern Louisiana complete its Southland Conference softball series sweep of Northwestern State with a 4-2 extra-inning victory in Sunday's series finale at the Lady Demon Diamond.
 
With the victory, SLU (26-16, 12-6 Southland) moved into a four-way tie for the league lead with McNeese, Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin. Senior Rachel Hayes (11-7) carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and held Northwestern State (24-15, 11-7 Southland) to three hits, striking out eight in the complete-game effort.
 
Hayes and NSU senior pitcher Micaela Bouvier (12-7) matched zeroes through the first seven innings, but SLU scored four runs in the eighth inning to break the tie. The Lady Demons cut the lead in half in the bottom of the eighth, but Hayes would not be denied and earned her ninth win in her past 11 decisions.
 
Neither team managed a hit until the top of the fourth inning, when Manzer lined a single to left field with two outs. However, Bouvier retired senior Alli Daigle to get out of the frame.
 
Freshman Madisen Blackford singled with one-out in the top of the sixth inning to give SLU another scoring chance, but this time Bouvier retired sophomore Ali McCoy and Blackford was thrown out trying to steal second to keep the Lady Lions off the board.
 
Northwestern State finally got its first hit off Hayes in the top of the sixth inning on a bunt single by senior Sidney Salmans. Hayes left her stranded by sitting down sophomores Madelyn Matt and Julie Rawls to keep the score deadlocked.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, NSU sophomore Emma Hawthorne drew a two-out walk to put the game-winning run aboard. Hayes bore down and forced sophomore Sidney Harris to pop out to first to send the game to extra innings.
 
SLU finally broke through in its half of the eighth inning. Senior Maddie Edmonston drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on an errant throw on her steal of second. Senior Grace DeLee then drew a walk with junior Jaquelyn Ramon taking her place on the base paths and stealing second to put a pair in scoring position with no outs.
 
Gibson then reached on a fielder's choice when Edmonston got caught in a run down, but beat the throw back to third base. With the bases loaded and no outs, Skains hit a long single to left centerfield to score Edmonston and Ramon and break the scoreless tie.
 
Two outs later, McCoy singled to put runners on the corners. Manzer then laced a single into the left centerfield gap. McCoy was running on the pitch and raced all the way home from first behind Skains and the Lady Lions went into NSU's final at-bat with a 4-0 cushion.
 
NSU would not go away quietly, however. Freshman Baleigh Glover led off the inning with a sharp single down the left field line, which sophomore Toni Hebert followed with a two-run home run just inside the right field foul pole to cut the lead in half.
 
Hayes would not let the Lady Demons any closer, striking out Salmans before Matt hit a lazy fly ball to Nichols in shallow left for the second out. McCoy made a running catch at the right field foul line to retire Rawls and close out the series sweep.  
 
Southeastern will return to action on Tuesday, closing out its non-conference road schedule with a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Jackson State.