SAN ANTONIO – Clutch hits and even more clutch pitching helped the Northwestern State softball team pick up a thrilling 4-3 Southland Conference win at UIW on Wednesday afternoon.
A two-run single up the middle from Camryn Becnel broke a scoreless draw in the fourth inning. Back-to-back hits from pinch-hitters in the seventh set the table for Sophia Livers’ second double of the day to provide some insurance that proved vital.
NSU starter Brooklynn Stohler threw her conference-leading ninth complete game of the season, working through traffic in all but one inning to hold UIW (22-15, 12-6) to just three runs while scattering six hits across the seven innings of work. She induced 16 fly ball outs in the game, saving her lone strikeout for the second out of the bottom of the seventh.
“Today I just stuck to my strengths and stayed confident in my pitches,” Stohler said. “I was really happy to see the offense work. Bec ( Becnel) had a really clutch hit in the fourth to put us ahead. That put their backs against the wall, which is huge, and allowed us to loosen up. Then Sophia came through in the seventh with a double. Without that hit we might not have pulled through with the win. Two huge clutch hits and I’m super proud of them.”
NSU (5-36, 2-16) moved ahead in the fourth inning after Livers’ leadoff double and a walk by Riley Schwisow. After a sacrifice bunt moved them each up a base, a walk loaded the bases for Becnel.
After falling behind 0-2 in the count, she singled to score Livers and Schwisow and give the Demons their first lead of the series.
After a fifth-inning solo home run by UIW, the Demons’ freshman hurler responded by retiring the next eight batters in a row.
NSU took a one-run lead into the top of the seventh and thanks to more clutch hits and plays turned it into a more comfortable three-run advantage.
A Peyton Peck double and Tori Clayton single, both in pinch hit at-bats, put the first two runners on base. After a strikeout, Livers attacked the first pitch she saw, taking it over the head of the right fielder for her second double of the game, scoring Ragsdale and giving NSU a 3-1 lead.
Livers finished the series with four hits total, three of them for extra bases, with hits in each of the three games.
She provided the decisive run as the Demons executed the first-and-third double steal play, with Schwisow intentionally inducing a rundown between first and second, allowing Livers to scamper home for a 4-1 lead going to the bottom of the inning.
“If we don’t get those runs then we don’t win,” coach Jenny Fuller said. “Really proud of the offense for coming through there. Had a big pinch-hit double from Peyton Peck to start it off then Tori Clayton came through with a hit. We executed the first-and-third play to scrore another run. Just so proud of them for executing in the big spot and getting it done.”
Northwestern comes home to host Lamar, whose head coach is former Lady Demon assistant Amy Hooks with former NSU shortstop Tara McKenney as an assistant coach. That SLC series starts with a Friday 4 p.m. doubleheader at the Demon Diamond.
A pinch-hit two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh brought the Cardinals within a run with two outs, but Stohler got a fly ball out to close the win by the nation’s youngest team, with 11 freshmen and just one senior.
BASEBALL BOWS AGAIN TO ULM: This time, the storybook late-inning ending did not happen for the Northwestern baseball team. Having rallied for late-game victories twice in its past three home games, the Demons could not summon another rally and dropped a 5-2 decision to visiting ULM on Wednesday night at Brown-Stroud Field, a night after the Warhawks rallied past NSU in Monroe.
“We didn’t do anything offensively to create pressure throughout the ball game,” Demons’ head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We didn’t find productivity in the moments that we did have, and it just felt like we were struggling and pressing. It didn’t feel like the type of offense we have come to expect from this group, but it’s a learning opportunity.”
In a bullpen game for both teams, the Warhawks (16-18) were able to scratch out enough runs against a group of six Northwestern pitchers while six ULM pitchers made them stand up.
The Demons (20-14) return to action Friday when they open a three-game Southland Conference series at league-leading Houston Christian. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Husky Field with ESPN+ coverage.