By Brad Welborn, Northwestern State Assistant Sports Information Director; featured photo courtesy of East Texas A&M
COMMERCE, Texas – Northwestern State powered through, in more ways than one, on Saturday to pick up its first Southland Conference win of the season, 8-7 at East Texas A&M.
After a pair of heartbreaking one-run losses on Friday, the Demons (4-30, 1-11) set an early tone with a double and home run to take a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Demons slugged three long balls and three doubles in the game, needing each one to hold off the Lions (9-26, 5-7) in the late stages for the win.
NSU put the frustration of Friday’s results behind the right away by taking an early lead and doing so with authority.
Former Benton star Sophia Livers drew her first walk of the day to start the game and came in to score two batter later on DJ Lynch’s first of two doubles in the game. Lynch was able to jog home two batters later on Riley Schwisow’s third home run of the season staking NSU to the early 3-0 lead.
The Lions scored their first run of the game on a double in the bottom of the inning, one of their five extra base hits in the game.
It was Lynch and Brynn Daniel though that helped stretch the Demon lead to five in the top of the third. A leadoff single to left started the inning before Daniel launched a two-run home run to left. Three straight free passes, a hit batter and two walks, with a runner on first gave the Demons their second three-run inning of the game and a 6-1 lead.
“Brad (Fuller) and I have talked about how a lot of the times we are getting singles and how we needed to get more extra base hits this weekend,” head coach Jenny Fuller said. “We were able to do that today. We hit some out. Hit some to the wall. That felt really good to see.”
Livers drew the bases loaded walk in the third and Sara Kate Booker took a five-pitch walk with the bags full in the fourth, scoring Lynch who doubled down the right field line to start the inning.
Lynch and Daniel led off both the third and fourth innings with hits, as they combined to go 6-for-9 with two home runs, two doubles, five runs scored and four RBI in the game.
“They must have been seeing beach balls at the plate the way they were hitting today,” Fuller said. “East Texas really couldn’t get them out. I’m really proud of them for helping us secure the win today. We don’t do it without them.”
On a day when the Demons had six extra base hits and 11 hits total, those two walks proved to be the deciding factor in the win.
A pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the third inning from the Lions cut the Demon lead down to 6-3 and a three-run home run in the fifth made it a one run game in the fifth at 7-6.
Daniel provided the eventual game-winning run that the Demons needed in the seventh by launching her second home run of the game, and third of the weekend, on the second pitch she saw to open the sixth inning.
She is the first Demons since Kat Marshall in 2022 to hit two home runs in a game.
The solo shot provided enough insurance for the Demons to endure a one-out sacrifice fly that made it an 8-7 game. Reliever Grace Ann McDonald got the next batter out on a chopper back to her in the circle to secure the win and her first career save.
Kaymie Chandler earned the victory tossing 1 1/3 innings in relief of Brooklynn Stohler who started the game and went 2 2/3. Both Stohler and Chandler allowed three runs in the game.
“It was huge for us to put up a three spot in the first inning,” Fuller said. “Whenever you do that it sets the tone for the rest of the game. That gave us momentum without a doubt.
“And we’re still just trying to trust the process and understanding that eventually those one-run games are going to go our way. It’s continuing to fight, be gritty, bear down and be at your best when your best is needed.”