NATCHITOCHES – The team that was able to make the most of the others mistakes won both games in Friday's doubleheader between Northwestern State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Islanders (11-36, 5-21) score four unearned runs in the top of the sixth of game one to take the lead on the way to a 9-4 win. In the nightcap, the Demons (7-42, 4-22) flipped the script by scoring six straight unearned runs over the final two innings of a 9-1 run-rule win in game two.
The split gave the Demons and first-year head coach
Jenny Fuller their first home conference win and first run-rule win of the season.
I'm proud of our team," Fuller said. "The message between games was let's finish the season on a high note. Let's get on them early and stay on them. That's what they did. I'm really proud of them for turning it around there."
The loss in game one officially eliminated the Demons from tournament contention. They will play the season finale at 12 p.m. against the Islanders with senior recognition for
Bailie Ragsdale schedule for after the game.
Game One – A&M-Corpus Christi 9, NSU 4
The Islanders took the lead three pitches into the game on a solo home run from Paulina Baez to straight away center field. An RBI single from
Cameron Curtis in the bottom of the second tied the game at one before the Islanders equaled the task with an RBI hit through the right side in the third.
That was when the game went from clean to sloppy, on both sides.
With runners at second and third and two out, an errant throw to third on a pickoff attempt went up the line into left field allowing
Aly Delafield to score and Ragsdale move up to third. A second throwing error, this time by the short stop as the Demons ran their first-and-third double steal play, allowed Ragsdale to cross the plate safely and move
Brynn Daniel to third.
Daniel trotted home easily on an RBI double from
Riley Schwisow giving the Demons a 4-2 lead through three.
Corpus cut into the lead with an RBI single to right in the fifth, after the Demons left the bases loaded in the fourth, unable to convert to extend their advantage.
The error bug that got to the Islanders made its way across the diamond to the Demons, the Southland's top-rated defensive team, in the sixth.
A throwing error on a sacrifice but attempt went down the right field line allowing the runner from second to score and tie the game at four. A fielder's choice RBI gave the Islanders the lead, but a muffed throw at second prevented the second out of the inning from being recorded. That was followed by a bases loaded single to center and another fielder's choice RBI to give the Islanders a 7-4 advantage.
NSU loaded the bases for the second time in the game in the bottom of the inning, this time with two outs, but left all three runners stranded once again.
Corpus added two more runs on a pair of RBI singles in the top of the seventh to reach the 9-4 final.
Both teams had nine hits in the game and committed three errors. The Demons scored two unearned runs while the Islanders scored four.
Game Two – NSU 9, A&M-Corpus Christi 1 (5)
An extra base hit in the top of the first gave the Islanders the early lead again in the second game. Monee Montilla hit a double to center to score a two-out run for the 1-0 lead.
After three hits and nothing to show for it through the first two innings, the Demons broke through in the third with three straight base hits to tie the game.
Delafield and Ragsdale each reached on early-count base hits allowing a
Brynn Daniel knock to left to score Delafield and even things at one. A double steal and a walk loaded the bases with no outs, but NSU only picked up one more run on a fielder's choice off the bat of
Sophia Livers, but it was enough to give them a 2-1 lead.
Ragsdale had a pair of hits in each of the two games of the day, going 4-for-8 at the plate adding a pair of runs scored, four stolen bases and an RBI to start her senior weekend.
"I walked on the field today and it was bittersweet," Ragsdale said. "But I came here to give 110 percent and leave it all on the field being a Demon one last weekend."
The Demons took the lead in the third and put their foot down in the fourth to help secure the game.
Freshman catcher Ary Garcia Santana launched the second pitch of her leadoff at-bat in the fourth over the left center wall for her first career home run. She is the seventh Demon this season to hit their first career home run this year.
"It was definitely an awesome feeling to get the first one," Garcia Santana said. "I got injured at the beginning of the season so its been a comeback that's had its ups and downs. But being able to have my team's back, especially after the first loss, was great. Off the bat it felt great and that was one of the things we worked on throughout the week – getting those outside pitches, and it paid off."
Her long ball sparked the first of back-to-back crooked number innings. Two throwing errors led to the second run of the inning, allowing
Cash Herber to score, and one of the few times Ragsdale was retired on the day was a productive out as it drove in a run to make it a 5-1 Demon lead.
Two more Islander errors in the fifth after the first two batters of the inning reached base led to the Demons run-rule win. A throwing error at second scored the first run and a second one at short allowed two runs to score, making it an 8-1 game and putting the winning run at third base.
The third error of the inning on a ground ball to third allowed Delafield to score for the third time in the game, and fourth of the day, to give NSU its first run-rule win of the season. The Demons scored four runs in the inning on just one hit with a pair of walks and three Islander errors.
"We talk a lot about how other teams take advantage of errors and that we need to do that," Fuller said. "I'm happy that they did that and finished off our first run-rule win today in our last weekend."
The miscues by the Islanders combined with the steady Demon plate appearances were plenty of support for
Kaymie Chandler who allowed just two hits after the first inning on her way to the fourth complete game of her season.
