Follow @HBUSoftball

HOUSTON – The HBU softball team rode its largest two-game scoring output since February to a doubleheader sweep of Southland Conference foe Northwestern State on Friday afternoon at Husky Field, outscoring the Lady Demons 16-3 over the two games.
 
Game 1
 
Junior Libby Brown opened the second inning with a double over the head of the NSU (20-29-1, 10-13 SLC) right fielder, followed two batters later by Megan Hiers who singled to left to put runners on the corners with one out. Demi Janak then followed with a fly ball into foul territory down the left field line to plate Brown and put the Huskies (17-22, 8-15) ahead 1-0 with Hiers moving up to second. Kay Schroeder then drew a walk and Heidi Jaquez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Northwestern State starting pitcher Mikayla Brown then issued another walk to Cecilia Bauer, forcing Hiers home and put HBU ahead 2-0 through two.
 
The Lady Demons got on the board in the top of the fourth thanks to Micayla Sorosiak's sixth home run of the season, a solo shot to right center to make it a one-run game. The Huskies had a reply, though, as Janak led off the HBU half of the fourth with a double to the left center gap, moving up to third on a sacrifice bunt from Schroeder. Jaquez followed with a deep sacrifice fly to center to plate Janak. With two outs in the inning, Bauer drove her seventh homer of the season over the left field wall, putting the Huskies ahead 4-1.
 
HBU added another run in the fifth, again taking advantage of a lead off hit. Brown started the inning with a single to right, advancing to second on a Brooke Bushman sacrifice bunt. A miscue by NSU's Julie Rawls in right field allowed Hiers to reach and Brown to advance to third, setting Janak up for her second sacrifice fly of the game, this time a fly ball into foul territory down the right field line.
 
Trailing 5-1, Northwestern State got something going in the top of the sixth. Brittany Jones drew a leadoff walk and was followed by Sorosiak, who singled to right center to put runners on first and third with nobody out. HBU starter Emily Mueller picked up a strikeout on the next batter but then surrendered a double to pinch hitter Kaylee Isenburg that brought two runs across and cut the Husky lead to two. The double prompted a pitching change with junior Stephanie Buenrostro coming on in relief, retiring the first two batters she faced to end the inning.
 
In the sixth, Jaquez was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to lead things off before stealing second. Bauer then reached on a throwing error by NSU shortstop Hailee Rhodes, giving the Huskies runners on first and second. Kassie James followed with an RBI single to score Jaquez from second. Nicole Shedd then grounded out, moving James up to second and giving HBU two runners in scoring position with just one out. Brown lined a single into center to score Bauer and advance James before Bushman hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring home James and put HBU ahead 8-3, which would be the final score.
 
Brown went 3-for-3 in the game with two runs scored while Bauer was 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored. The Huskies hit four sacrifice flies in the game.
 
Mueller picked up the win, moving to 8-13 for the season. The senior allowed three earned runs over five and a third innings on four hits and five walks with one strikeout. Buenrostro earned her first save as a Husky, throwing one and two-thirds innings of shutout ball and giving up just one hit.
 
Game 2
 
The Lady Demons came out swinging in the second game as leadoff hitter Sidney Salmans opened the game with a single up the middle on the first pitch she saw. She moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt and a Jordan Rains single with two outs put runners on the corners. HBU freshman Shae Bibby got a groundout to third to end the inning and strand both runners. In the second, NSU again got a leadoff single and that was followed by Isenburg reaching on a fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt. With two on and nobody out, Emma Hawthorne dropped down a sacrifice bunt of her own to put runners on second and third with just one out. Bibby responded with a strikeout and a ground ball to second to end the threat.
 
In the HBU second, Brown and Bushman drew back-to-back walks to open the inning, moving up a base each on a Hiers sacrifice bunt. Janak then drove a fly ball to center to bring Brown across for a 1-0 lead and her third sac fly of the day.
 
Bibby again bent but didn't break in the top of the third, allowing a leadoff single. Another single off the bat of Rains with one out put two runners on for the Lady Demons. The following two hitters both put balls into the hole on the left side of the infield and twice Brown made diving stops and retired the lead runners at third to end the frame.
 
With one out in the third, NSU starting pitcher Katelyn Boles lost the strike zone and issued four-straight walks, bringing home a run and prompting the Lady Demons to make a switch to Hayley Barbazon in the circle. Barbazon walked the first batter she faced, forcing in a second run in the inning. With the bases still loaded, Hiers singled up the middle to score Nicole Shedd, folloed by a single to left by Janak that brought Brown across the plate. Schroder brought home another run with a ground out to third and then Jaquez drove in Hiers with a single through the left side, bringing the Husky run total for the inning to six.
 
Bibby held the Lady Demons scoreless the rest of the way, stranding two more runners in the fifth and one in the sixth. In the bottom half of the sixth, with two out, Bauer drove a 1-0 offering over the fence to right for her second blast of the day, her eighth of the season, and ended the game at 8-0.
 
The shutout was Bibby's third complete game shutout of the season and improved her season record to 3-4. The freshman scattered eight hits over six innings, stranding eight baserunners and striking out two while walking none.
 
For the day, Brown was 3-for-4 with four runs scored and two RBI to go along with two walks and a sac bunt. Janak was 2-for-3 with four RBI and a run scored, totaling three sac flies. Bauer was 3-for-5, scoring four runs and driving in three. All nine of the HBU batters in the two games contributed at least one run with either a run scored or a run batted in.
 
HBU has now won the opening game of a Southland Conference series five consecutive times, beginning with a 3-2 win over Incarnate Word on March 31.
 
HBU entered the day four games behind NSU and Central Arkansas for the sixth and final spot in the Southland Conference tournament. With the two wins, the Huskies are now just two games behind the Lady Demons.
 
The Huskies and Lady Demons will close out their series on Saturday afternoon with a single game at Husky Field beginning at 12:00 p.m.