· Game 1 box score
· Game 2 box score
NATCHITOCHES, La. — Senior Rudi Cantu and junior Danye Holmes collected three hits apiece, but it was not enough, as Northwestern State used a pair of strong pitching performances to sweep a doubleheader from UTSA, 5-1 and 1-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Lady Demons Diamond.
The two losses dropped the Roadrunners to 22-29 overall and 14-15 in the Southland Conference, creating a must-win situation for Sunday’s game three to qualify for the postseason tournament. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (15-14) leap-frogged UTSA into the sixth and final spot with a pair of victories at Southeastern Louisiana. The Lady Demons improved to 27-26 and 13-16.
Cantu and Holmes each went 2-for-3 in the opener, while the duo had the Birds' only two base knocks in the nightcap, a 1-0 setback.
Randi Stuard and Ashleigh Kuhn had two hits each and Kylie Roos (13-10) struck out seven and scattered six hits to lead Northwestern State in the lid-lifter.
The Lady Demons jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one frame. Stuard led off with a single through the left side of the infield, stole second and moved to third on a walk to Samantha Roberts that followed an infield single by Kayla Cole. Roos helped her own cause with a sacrifice fly to left field. Kuhn then doubled to center field to plate Cole and Stormi Stech grounded a base hit up the middle to send Roberts home with the third run of the inning.
After three scoreless panels, UTSA got one run back in the fifth. Junior Emily Humpal drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a groundout and to third on a single by senior Chelsey Chapman. Cantu then pushed Humpal home with a base hit through the left side of the infield to make it 3-1.
Northwestern State answered with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the frame and Roos made the four-run advantage stand through the final two innings.
Humpal (13-15) was tagged with the loss, as she fanned six but allowed three earned runs on eight hits and four walks in 4.1 panels.
Brooke Boening tossed a two-hit shutout in game two and the Lady Demons made the most of their one hit off of Holmes in a 1-0 decision. Boening struck out 12 and did not walk a batter in running her record to 9-9. Meanwhile, Holmes fanned seven but allowed one run on one hit and five walks in falling to 6-9.
The Lady Demons scored the only run of the contest in the fourth, as Roberts drew a leadoff walk and pinch runner Alyssa Bershears stole second to put a runner in scoring position with nobody out. A sac bunt by Kuhn advanced Bershears to third and Ashlee England came through with a base hit to center field.
The 1-0 lead would hold, as Boening retired the final 11 batters she faced.
Game three is slated for noon Sunday.
