NATCHITOCHES – It worked so well on the first day that Northwestern State decided a repeat dominant pitching performance and offensive outburst was necessary again on Saturday.
The Lady Demons (9-7) used another six-run inning, their second in two games, to bolster a dominant effort in the circle from
Maggie Darr to pick up an 8-0 run-rule win over Jackson State on the second day of the NHDDCC Lady Demon Classic.
NSU jumped on the board in the bottom of the first after a two-out double to right center from
Laney Roos put her in scoring position.
Kat Marshall served a ball into shallow left between three defenders two pitches later to score Roos from second and give NSU the 1-0 lead.
The double for Roos was one of two hits on the day for the NSU right fielder and one of 10 total in the game for the Demons. She had an RBI single in the six-run fourth inning that drove in what turned into the game-winning eighth run of the night.
"I was just trying to see my pitch and staying simple at the plate," she said. "I've really been working hard to try and hit towards the gaps and not try and do too much. Before the game coach was just telling us to do that, keep it simple, attack our pitch and not chase anything out of the zone."
After striking out a pair in the first inning, starter
Maggie Darr sat down at least one batter on strikes in each of the next three innings, allowing just one hit and three total baserunners through the first four innings of work. She did not allow anyone passed second base until the fifth and final inning.
Makenzie Chaffin doubled the NSU lead in the bottom of the third taking a 2-0 pitch up in the zone deep over the wall in right for her first home run of the season making it a 2-0 game.
Her blast set the stage for what was to come from the Demons in the bottom of the next inning. After groundout to short NSU rattled off six straight hits, batted around in the inning and finished off Jackson State in convincing fashion.
Three straight singles from
Keely Dubois,
Taylor Williams and
Tristin Court, who also shined defensively at third during the game, loaded the bases with just one out.
Ashlyn Walker took a ball right back up the middle for a two-run single and moved to second on the throw home.
Nani Winger doubled in Walker and Court three pitches later to make it a 6-0 game and
Bailie Ragsdale traded places with her on the next pitch to make it 7-0. A fly ball to right ended string of hits before Roos delivered the winning run on a base hit up the middle.
"It's very contagious," Roos said of the hitting streak in the big inning. "As soon as one person gets a hit it boosts the energy and the next person just wants to keep it going. If the opportunity is there to run-rule a team we definitely want to take advantage of it. Coach Pickett always tells us to keep scoring and keep pushing and not be satisfied with just a couple of runs."
The Tigers got a couple of runners on base via a walk and infield single off the leg of Darr, but a grounder back to her and a fly ball to right ended the game giving Darr her fifth win of the season and fourth complete game with a two-hit shutout.
All nine players in the lineup had a hit on the day with Roos the only one with a pair. Six different batter drove in a run in the game with Walker and Winger each getting two RBIs.
NSU closes its weekend home tournament with a doubleheader beginning at 10 a.m. against Arkansas-Pine Bluff before the finale against the same Jackson State squad at 12:30 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.
