Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two

NATCHITOCHES, La.  – The Nicholls State University softball team was six outs away from sweeping Saturday's Southland Conference doubleheader against rival Northwestern State, but the Lady Demons scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to bounce back from a 6-4 loss in game one to hand Nicholls a 4-3 defeat in the second game at the Lady Demon Diamond.

The rubber match between Nicholls (10-15, 2-3) and NSU (19-6, 1-3) will be on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game can be heard on ThibodauxOnline.com, with pregame set to begin 10 minutes before first pitch.

Game 1 – Nicholls 6, Northwestern State 4

Freshman Haley Parkerson capped a three-run fourth with a two-run triple to give Nicholls a 5-1 lead and senior Ashton Bennett tossed a complete game as Nicholls held off Northwestern State 6-4 to win game one.

Nicholls took a 2-0 lead after the top of the first when Leah Andrus drove in the first run on a fielder's choice, right before Parkerson stole home. NSU got one back in the bottom half, helped by a leadoff triple by Tara McKenney.

In the Colonel fourth, Bennett led the frame off with a single, leading to a Bertot RBI single. With two on and two out, Parkerson legged out her first career triple, putting the Colonels up 4-1.

Freshman Morgan Wilson added a RBI single in the fifth before NSU made a rally in the bottom of the frame, plating three runs on four hits. But over the next two innings, Bennett gave up only one hit – a two-out single in the seventh- right before she fanned Cali Burke looking to seal the win.

Bennett improved to 7-6 on the year, giving up six hits while striking out five.

Game 2 – Northwestern State 4, Nicholls 3

The Colonels pounded out 13 hits, including two in the top of the seventh, but couldn't get the tying run across the plate as Northwestern State avoided the sweep, rallying for two runs in the sixth for a 4-3 victory.

Brittany Marcet led the way for the Colonels at the plate, going 3-of-4 with a RBI. Andrus, Bennett and Courtney Vanlandingham each had multi-hit games, finishing with two apiece.

Despite a solid effort in the circle, freshman Hannah Haydel (3-5) took the loss, giving up four runs on seven hits. Haydel notched one strikeout on the day, but walked six.

After a quiet three innings, NSU struck first with a pair of runs in the fourth. The Lady Demons played small ball to score their first run, using two sacrifice bunts to take a 1-0 lead. NSU scored again in the frame on a RBI single by Shenequia Abby.

In the fifth, Nicholls loaded the bases with one out, but NSU kept the score 2-0 after a force out at home. With two down, Marcet came through with a single to right to bring home Vanlandingham, but the Lady Demons kept the lead when Bertot was thrown out at the plate.

Wilson gave Nicholls a 3-2 lead in the sixth with her first career home run, a two-run shot to left. However, NSU came right back with a clutch two-run single to center by McKenney.

Down to its last out, Nicholls put together a rally with back-to-back singles by Marcet and Andrus. The runners then advanced on a wild pitch, but Kaylee Guidry forced a flyout to right to end the game.

###