Rosamae Neil Smith
April 14, 2008
Charles "Charlie" Herbert Rice Jr.
April 16, 2008
After playing the equivalent of three games in their Saturday doubleheader, Sunday’s softball contest between Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin seemed normal by comparison.
But the game was as bitterly fought as the previous day’s split. Nicholls won Sunday’s rubber match 2-1 with the arm and bat of starting pitcher Lacey Gros.
Gros (7-3) not only threw a 147-pitch complete game victory, she hit the game-winning RBI in the fourth inning that scored sophomore Karla Troxler.
“She struggled early in the game with control, but the last two to three innings, she pitched flawless,” said Nicholls coach Jenny Parsons. “We got out of a lot of innings.”
Both teams had quick starts. In the first, SFA (27-17, 14-6 SLC) scored when a sacrifice fly by Jessica Tallos brought home Monica Hirsh for a 1-0 lead.
NSU senior Kat Harrell led off the bottom of the first with a triple, and scored when junior Danielle Clayton laid down a bunt to tie the game.
Offense was hard to come by Sunday. The Lady Jacks got four hits and left eight runners on base. The Colonels (25-21, 12-9) were worse, only getting three hits and stranding four runners.
“We shut down after that first inning,” said SFA coach Gay McNutt.
Gros struck out 11 and walked five in her win.
SFA’s Monika Covington (15-8) suffered the loss despite having nine strikeouts and one walk in six innings. In game one Saturday, she pitched all 13 innings, struck out 20, and allowed only seven hits and two walks in a 6-5 win.
Nicholls won game two, 6-5, in eight innings. The Colonels have won nine of their last ten games.
“We’ve been play outstanding ball the last two-to-three weeks,” said Parsons. “We proved a point that we can play with any team in this conference.”
The Colonels travel to Baton Rouge to play 12th ranked LSU tonight at 6 p.m. They play a weekend series at Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas.
SFA’s Kari Hugie (15) tried to steal home, but Colonels pitcher makes the tag. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
