Softball: Northwestern State shakes sluggish start, downs ULM 3-1

NATCHITOCHES — In the middle of the fourth inning Wednesday, Northwestern State softball head coach Donald Pickett pulled his team aside to convey a message.

“We were flat, and I challenged them to take the fight to (ULM),” Pickett said.

The message was received. The Lady Demons promptly responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning en route to a 3-1 victory over ULM at the Lady Demon Diamond.

“The girls responded well, and I’m proud of them for that,” Pickett said. “But we have to come in and take to the fight to them from the first pitch on. They came out giving us their best shot. Monroe came out here to try and win the ballgame. And they had the energy, and they were creating momentum on their side.”

Senior outfielder Hayley Barbazon played a sizable role in that fourth-inning jumpstart. The veteran centerfielder has shifted around the lineup early on in 2021 and was slotted in the No. 6 hole on Wednesday and produced in a big way.

Barbazon knocked in one of her two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-out single. She capped NSU’s scoring on the night with another two-out, run-scoring single in the sixth inning.

“We moved Hayley up to the middle of that lineup, trying to work on some different things to make us a little more productive,” Pickett said. “She’s been there before. She had two quality at-bats tonight, and I’m really expecting big things out of Barbs this season.”

Northwestern State’s three runs were plenty for junior pitcher Jensen Howell who bounced back from a rough outing last weekend during the South Alabama Invitational. Just four days removed from getting hit around by Missouri, Howell stepped up and tossed all seven innings Wednesday.

“I was just trying to take the game at a different situation, trying to do better than what I did previously,” Howell said. “I learned from what I did (against Missouri), my mistakes, and made sure when I came out here today that I approached it differently.”

The complete game was Howell’s second of the season. She only allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts. The victory pushed her record to 3-1 on the year.

“She definitely gave us a quality start,” Pickett said. “We came out a little flat on offense. I thought she was really sharp tonight. She was able to mix speeds, and it looked like she was in control and not trying to overthrow.”

ULM starter Gianni Hulett also went the distance. She surrendered three runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts.

The Lady Demons’ first run Wednesday came off the bat of freshman infielder Kat Marshall in the fourth. Junior second baseman, Cayla Jones, fellow junior designated player, E.C. Delafield, and senior outfielder, Kaitlyn St. Clair, rounded out those who registered a hit for NSU.

Northwestern State heads to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for its final non-conference tournament of the season. The Lady Demons will open the Wooo Pig Classic against Drake on Friday at 12:30 p.m. The tournament field also includes Arkansas and Kansas.