Five Ejected, Teen Killed in Two-Vehicle Lafourche Parish Crash
May 20, 2023
TPSO to launch new Juvenile Safety Initiative
May 20, 2023
For the first time in program history, the Nicholls State University baseball team is the Southland Conference Regular Season Champions.
Needing at least one victory to claim at least a share of the title, Nicholls did just that by defeating New Orleans, 10-4, in Game 2 of the series Friday night at Maestri Field. Leading 6-4 in the ninth, news spread in the dugout that UIW had lost so a victory would result in an outright championship and the No. 1 seed in next week’s Southland Conference Tournament. The Colonels then added four more runs in their final at-bat before going on to secure the program’s first-ever SLC championship.
Nicholls (30-21, 15-8 SLC) outhit the Privateers, 13-8, in the victory and no hit was bigger than senior Austin Cain’s 3-run home run in in third inning that gave the Colonels a 4-2 advantage — a lead they would never surrender.
MaCrae Kendrick homered in the next inning for the Red and Gray before Xane Washington added an RBI on a sacrifice fly for a four-run cushion. New Orleans (32-22, 12-11 SLC) made it interesting with a pair of runs in the fifth but the Colonel bullpen would shut out the Privateers the rest of the way. The insurance runs in the ninth were courtesy of a double by senior Xane Washington and run-scoring singles from Gerardo Villarreal and Garrett Felix.
The Colonels had their ace on the mound to start the game, freshman Jacob Mayers, but he ended up with his shortest outing of the season after leaving in the third inning. He allowed two solo home runs in the first and second frames, however, Cain provided four RBIs to put Nicholls ahead. Cain had a two-out RBI double in the opening inning and after UNO took a 2-1 lead, his homer over the left field wall made it 4-2 Colonels.
In the bottom of the third, Mayers walked the first two batters in his final frame before a base hit to center by Tyler Bischke loaded the bases with no outs. Coach Mike Silva went with senior Josh Mancuso out of the bullpen to stop the bleeding and the lefty delivered in a big way. He struck out Tristan Moore, who homered in the opening inning, for the first out before getting cleanup hitter Mitchell Sanford to dribble into an easy 2-3 double play for catcher Kaden Amundson.
After Nicholls extended its lead to 6-2 in the fifth, UNO threatened again in the bottom half against reliever Nico Saltaformaggio. A leadoff single was followed by a strikeout and a groundout but the Privateers pieced together a two-out rally to cut the deficit in half. Sanford drove in a run on a single and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch made it 6-4. Senior Chase Gearing then took over on the mound and forced a hard liner to Cain at third for the final out.
Gearing was then in cruise control, fanning two in the sixth and another in the seventh. Anthony Herron Jr. led off the eighth with a double but Gearing retired the next three to maintain the four-run edge.
In the ninth, Washington laced a shot down the left field line for a double and Amundson scored after the ball was bobbled in the outfield. UNO intentionally walked Edgar Alvarez and Villarreal immediately followed with an RBI single to right center. Felix capped the inning with two RBIs on his base hit up the middle.
Cade Evans allowed a one-single in the bottom half before closing out the game.
Gearing picked up the victory, allowing the lone double in 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. All five Colonel pitchers had at least one strikeout, including Mayers with four in 2.0 innings.
Villarreal led the offense with three hits while Washington, Cain and Kendrick had two each.
UNO starter Caleb Seroski suffered the loss, surrendering four earned runs on six hits in 2.2 innings.
ON DECK
Nicholls will go for its sixth series victory of the season with the rubbermatch against UNO set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.
