MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Northwestern State split its first two games in Memphis on Friday, falling to Indiana 4-2 before doubling up the host Tigers 6-3.
 
"We played better overall today for sure," head coach Donald Pickett said. "We went with staff games today pitching wise and everybody came in, competed well and gave us a chance to win both games. We swung the bats better today as well, had a chance to win that first game and were able to get up early in the second which helped us win that one."
 
Indiana 4, NSU 2
 
Some early missed chances to put runs on the board came back to haunt the Demons at the end of the game.
 
Back-to-back base hits from Taylor Williams and Laney Roos put runners on and in scoring position after both tagged and advanced on a fly ball to right. The lack of a key two-out hit that has plagued the Demon offense of late once again kept them off the board as a ground ball to short ended the inning.
 
Down 1-0 in the fourth after a two-out double from the Hoosiers in the second gave them the lead, the Demons were poised to at the least tie the game following a one-out double from Kat Marshall.
 
Makenzie Chaffin followed by working a walk and once again both runners advanced to second and third on a throwing error by the catcher. But once again NSU was left wanting on a ground ball to second that stranded two more runners in scoring position. 
 
After battling through traffic through the first three-plus innings where Indiana tallied seven total hits against starter Ryleigh Denton but only scratched across the one run, the Hoosiers eventually made a bigger break through.
 
Two straight infield singles put a pair to start the Indiana fourth and two batters later a three-run homer to left made it a 4-0 game. Indiana had just one more hit the rest of the game, a leadoff double in the fifth that did no damage, as Denton and reliever Maggie Darr shut the Hoosiers down over the final two innings plus.
 
Williams delivered NSU's first two-out hit of the game, a single up the middle in the fifth, to bring around Nani Winger who walked and stole second to start the inning for the first run of the day. The Demons got a couple on in the sixth looking for some late-inning magic but the only thing they could conjure was a leadoff home run from Ashlyn Walker in the seventh, her first as a Demon.
 
NSU 6, Memphis 3
 
After allowing a run on an RBI single in the bottom of the first, the Demons took no time to form a response against the home Tigers.
 
It took just two batters and eight pitches for NSU to tie the game in the top of the second. Marshall's second double of the day immediately put her in scoring position. Chaffin traded placed with her with a double to left evening the score at one-run each.
 
A walk to Keely Dubois and infield single from Tristin Court loaded the bases setting the table for Walker's second RBI of the day on a fielder's choice to right to give the Demons the 2-1 lead. Memphis responded with a run in the bottom of the inning on another base hit up the middle to even the score at two, but just as they did before, the Demons answered again.
 
Hits from Williams and Marshall put two in scoring position with one out for the Demons in the third. Chaffin came through with her second hit in as many innings and her third of the day to bring both runs in and move the Demons back on top.
 
She came in to score on the next play thanks to an error at short giving NSU the 5-2 edge.
 
"Us being able to get multiple runs there instead of just one was huge for us at that point in the game," Pickett said. "It gave us a little bit of breathing room and Bronte (Rhoden) came in a shut the door for the next three innings. That was a big swing in the game with Mak's hit followed by what Bronte did."
 
Rhoden entered the game after the three-run inning in relief of starter Kenzie Seely and gave the Demons exactly what they needed, three shut down innings. She retired the next nine batters in a row with five strikeouts, including a strikeout of the side in in order in the fourth.
 
The Demons added another run to their total in the sixth on a two-out single up the middle from Walker, her second hit and third RBI out of the number nine spot in the lineup of the day.
 
"Ashlyn had a big day for us today at the bottom of the lineup," Pickett said. "She did a great job of turning the lineup over and things flowed a little better with her getting on base and creating some RBI opportunities. Think that was big for us today and hopefully we can build on it for tomorrow."
 
The Tigers made one last push late in the game in the bottom of the sixth, finally getting to Rhoden with a double and two straight two-out hits to push one run across and load the bases after a walk.
 
Like she did in the first game, Darr was called on to keep the opponent from getting any more and do that she did. 
 
A wildly important strikeout ended the inning leaving the bases loaded and Darr struck out two of the three batters she faced in the seventh to pick up the second save of her career and giving Rhoden her second win of the season.
 
NSU continues play in Memphis at 12 p.m. on Saturday against Indiana before closing the weekend with the Tigers once again at 5 p.m.