Eula Josephine Lagrange Larose
April 28, 2008
Adam "T-Dent" LaCoste
April 30, 2008
Nicholls went 0-4 Sunday as its baseball and softball teams lost doubleheaders at Ray E. Didier Field and the Colonel Softball Complex.
Stephen F. Austin scored seven runs in the last two innings of the game being resumed from Saturday afternoon for a 7-1 win in game one, and battled for a 10-7 win in game two to sweep the Colonels in the three-game series.
With the losses, Nicholls falls to 7-37 (2-19 SLC) on the season, while the Lumberjacks improve to 17-25, (6-14 SLC).
In game one, Nicholls took the lead in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Brandt Boudreaux scored Brett Cook from third.
But the Jacks drove five hits past the Colonel infield and took advantage of an error to score four runs and take the lead in the eighth.
SFA starter Lance Luetge (5-6) got the win, giving up nine hits but allowing just one run and striking out three.
NSU starter Bryan Myers (1-4) allowed nine hits and four runs, two walks and three strikeouts in 7.2 innings for the loss.
Jordy Toups led the Colonels, going 2-for-3 in the first game.
In game two, the Colonels and Jacks traded the lead back and forth until SFA took the lead for good in the top of the eighth on a two-RBI single by Noel Trevino for an SFA 9-7 advantage.
Rich Folmer picked up the win for the Lumberjacks, pitching 2.2 innings of no-run relief. He gave up five hits and fanned four. Heath Konesheck got his first save of the season.
For the Colonels, Lance Guidroz (0-2) let three runs cross the plate off three hits in 2.2 innings of work out of the bullpen.
Brett Cook led Nicholls with three hits in the game and a run scored. Shane Barksdale drove in two RBIs and scored twice.
“They had a lot of extra-base hits that came with runners on base,” said Colonels head coach Chip Durham. “While we had 40 hits on the weekend – 36 of them for singles – we never put ourselves in a situation to win games.”
Meanwhile, down Acadia Drive, McNeese St. ruined the Colonels’ Seniors Day as they won both contests, 3-1 and 4-2.
Before the games, seniors Jessica Barksdale, Krystalin Ensminger, Kat Harrell, Rachel Pugh and Amy Thibodeaux were honored, along with their parents, on the field as they played their last home games of their collegiate careers. They each had their numbers painted on the field in foul territory around home plate.
“I was crying so much; I just want to make this school proud,” said Thibodeaux. “I love this town, this city.”
In game one, the Colonels (25-27, 12-14) scored its only run in the bottom first.
Sophomore Audrey Wood hit an RBI that scored junior Kodi Butler from third to take the early 1-0 lead.
The Cowgirls (21-33, 14-12) bounced back in the second. After Holly Long led off with a double, Megan Beard belted an RBI single that plated Long.
The score remained tied until the top of the fifth when the Cowgirls’ Tiffany Ritchie hit a game-winning, two-run single that brought home Whitney Corbello and Molly Guidry for the 3-1 lead. Ritchie was thrown out at second base trying to extend her single.
Colonels’ starter Wood (6-6) was tagged with the loss as she threw four innings allowing three runs on seven hits while only striking out two.
The SFA Cowgirls’ Bethany Stefinsky (7-10) got the win as she allowed five hits, one run and fanned 11.
In the second game, McNeese State scored one run in the first, two in the third and one in the fourth to build a 4-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the fourth, Thibodeaux led off with a double. After being replaced on the base by Karla Troxler, sophomore Nicole Smith hit a RBI double to the leftfield wall to score Troxler.
Harrell led off the bottom fifth belted a triple to right-centerfield and sophomore Danielle Clayton hit a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield that scored Harrell.
With the deficit cut to 4-2, bases loaded and one out, the Colonels could not bring anymore home to end the inning.
Neither team scored for the remainder of the game.
Picking up the loss for the Colonels was Ensminger (8-13) who tossed three innings allowing seven hits, four runs and one walk.
The Cowgirls’ Stefinsky (8-10) picked up the win pitching four innings, allowed three hits, three walks and two strikeouts.
“We still have games next weekend so we need to forget this and sweep the next series,” said Ensminger.
During the games, NSU loaded the bases a total of four times without scoring a run.
“We haven’t played well in six games,” said Colonels head coach Jenny Parsons. “Not since that LSU game. We go from winning nine out of 10 to losing six in a row, scoring only one run a game.”
Nicholls softball team will play this weekend at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (21-27, 11-16) to close out their regular season.
Nicholls baseball team played last night at Tulane. The results were not available by deadline.
The Colonels travel to Arlington, Texas, to play a weekend series against UT-Arlington.
The Colonels’ Danielle Clayton steals second base in the fifth inning of game one against McNeese State over the weekend. * Photo by KEYON JEFF
