One Arrested, One Sought for Armed Robbery in Cut Off
May 8, 2023
LHSAA Baseball: VCH heads to Semifinals; EDW wins game 1, plays today
May 8, 2023
The Nicholls State University baseball team took Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader against Southeastern, 6-5, in 11 innings before finishing off the weekend sweep with a 9-0 victory in the finale at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.
With the two victories, Nicholls (27-18, 12-6 SLC) enters the final two weeks of the regular season in first place, leading UIW by 1.0 game. The home sweep was the second straight for the Colonels after taking all three at The Did against HCU two weekends ago.
Game 1 – Nicholls 6, Southeastern 5 (11 innings)
In a game that saw three lead changes and three ties in the eighth through 10th innings, the Colonels would escape with the win in the 11th on a walkoff error as Nicholls clinched the series victory against Southeastern.
A pair of two-out walks in the final frame set up the walkoff win for the Colonels. Facing the shift, Parker Coddoupunched a ball up the middle and it trickled under the glove of Lion shortstop TJ Salvaggio, allowing Wes Toups to score from second base.
Nicholls had 11 hits in the victory but surprisingly none came from the No. 1 or 2 spots in the lineup. Coddou was 0-for-5 while Xane Washington went hitless for the first time since March 24 in the conference opener, snapping his 19-game hitting streak. But both scored in the eighth inning to allow Nicholls to grab a 4-3 lead.
The rest of the order picked up the slack as Edgar Alvarez posted three hits with one double, and Gerardo Villarreal, MaCrae Kendrick and Toups each had two hits.
On the mound, Tyler Theriot posted a strong start for the Colonels, lasting 7.2 innings with three earned runs on five hits. Nico Saltaformaggio earned the win in relief, surrendering a run on two hits in 2.0 innings.
Nicholls scored the game’s first run thanks to one of the Lions’ four errors in the game. Kendrick beat out a dribbler to second but the ball sailed passed the the first baseman on the throw which allowed a run to score. But the Lions answered with two runs in the fifth on a pair of sacrifices for a 2-1 lead.
The Colonels tied it in the bottom half on a balk and neither team would score again until the eighth. SLU’s Tyler Finke hit an RBI single in the top of the inning off of Cade Evans, but another Lion error evened it back up. Then Austin Caingave the Colonels a 4-3 lead with a sacrifice fly.
In the ninth, Connor Manola came through for the Lions with a sacrifice fly to force extras. Each team then scored in the 10th with the Colonels tying the game on an RBI single by Villarreal.
Toups and Kade Turnage both drew walks in the 11th with two outs, allowing the Colonels to get the game-winning run.
Game 2 – Nicholls 9, Southeastern 0
The Colonel offense tied its third highest hit total of the season with 17 while Jacob Mayers led the pitching staff en route to the first shutout in conference as the Colonels finished off the series sweep of Southeastern with a 9-0 victory.
Nicholls pieced together three big innings, scoring three runs in the second, four in the fifth, and two more in the eighth. It was way more than enough for Mayers and company as the freshman tossed 5.0 shutout innings to up his record to 7-1 on the season. Harper Jordan allowed two hits in 3.0 innings while Gavin Galy struck out the side in the ninth after entering the game with two runners on.
MaCrae Kendrick highlighted the lineup with a 5-for-5 outing, finishing with two runs scored and one RBI. Garrett Felixhad three hits including a 3-run towering home run in the fifth that doubled the Colonel lead. Parker Coddou also had three hits and Xane Washington added two as both bounced back from hitless Game 1s. Wes Toups chipped in with two hits and two runs scored, and he and Felix each doubled.
Three hits in the second led to the Colonels’ first three runs. Kaden Amundson started the scoring with a sacrifice fly and then two more scored on an RBI single by Coddou. An error on the play put Nicholls ahead 3-0.
Mayers struggled with his control by issuing six walks, but two double plays wiped out two of the runners and Amundson also threw one out trying to steal. Shea Thomas was the only Lion to notch a hit against Mayers, accounting for both. Mayers finished with five strikeouts, upping his season total to a league-leading 80.
Felix homered to spark the fifth and Coddou added an RBI single for a 7-0 lead. In the eighth, Gerardo Villarreal and Kendrick finished off the scoring with RBI singles.
ON DECK
Nicholls will host McNeese for a nonconference matchup on Tuesday, May 9 for its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game, presented by Thibodaux Regional Cancer Institute. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
