LAKE CHARLES, La. –  An outstanding defensive play stunted a late rally, allowing fourth seed Lamar to hold off sixth seed Northwestern State, 5-4, in an elimination game in the 2023 Southland Conference Softball Championship.
 
Lamar moves to 28-23 on the year and faces the winner of tonight’s Nicholls/A&M-Corpus Christi game at 11 a.m. Friday in another elimination contest. Northwestern State’s season ends at 25-27 overall.
 
The Cardinals led 5-0 in the middle of the sixth before the Lady Demon comeback effort began in earnest. Cameron Niedenthal had RBI singles in the first, third, and sixth innings, along with an RBI single by Felixia Hinojosa and sacrifice fly by Brooke Davis in the third.
 
Northwestern State cut the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run homer to left field by Kat Marshall – her second of the tournament – and an RBI single by Camryn Ford.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Keely Dubois led off with a double and scored on Makenzie Chaffin’s double to cut the lead to 5-4. After Laney Roos walked to put runners on first and second with one out, Lamar’s Nicolette Ramirez made a diving play on a liner by Tristin Court that seemed destined to tie the game. Ramirez’ snag was the second out and she quickly turned across her body to double off Chaffin and slam the door  on a promising rally and send the Cardinals on in the bracket.
 
For Lamar, Aaliyah Ruiz allowed three runs in 5.1 innings on eight hits to earn her 13th win of the year, while Fadwa Ben Karim picked up her first save of the year, allowing a run in 1.2 innings of relief. Niedenthal went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, while Estella Garza and Hinojosa each had two hits.
 
For Northwestern State, Dubois went 2-for-4 with two doubles and scored each time she reached base. Chaffin also had two hits. Maggie Darr was tagged with the loss in the circle after allowing four runs in 2.0 innings. Ryleigh Denton allowed one unearned run in 5.0 innings of relief. Six of the Lady Demons’ 10 hits went for extra bases.