Eugenie "Ann" Wise Boulet
April 2, 2008Getting fit for the beach; good books to take along
April 4, 2008
The Colonels prevented a series sweep by beating Texas-San Antonio 4-2 on Sunday at the Colonels Softball Complex.
Nicholls’ (17-20, 7-8 SLC) offense was powered by senior Kat Harrell (2-for-3, RBI) and sophomore Audrey Wood (1-for-3, RBI), who a home run for the second straight game.
Senior Krystalin Ensminger (6-10) pitched a complete game victory, allowing only two runs (one earned) on eight hits, five strikeouts, and two walks in seven innings.
“Krystalin kept them off-balanced, kept them down in the zone, kept them in the ballpark,” said Colonels coach Jenny Parsons.
Amanda Nikolenko (10-8) got the loss by giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits in six innings.
In Saturday’s doubleheader, Texas-San Antonio won the double-header, 8-1 and 8-7. Nikolenko started game 1 and relieved in game 2. Combined, she pitched nine innings, struck out 15, allowed one run and one walk.
The loss snapped UTSA’s (18-15, 13-5 SLC) nine-game Southland Conference winning streak.
Both teams scored in the first inning. The Colonels’ run came when Harrell rounded third as UTSA first baseman Krista Sitka misplayed Mercedes Hessel’s throw on a grounder hit by Wood. Harrell slid head-first into home plate beating the tag to tie the game 1-1.
The game stayed tied until the bottom of the fifth. With bases loaded, Harrell singled to score sophomore Kayla Troxler. Junior Kodi Butler followed with a sacrifice fly that brought home freshman Tory Lay and gave Nicholls a 3-1 lead.
In the sixth, Wood hit a solo homerun over the centerfield fence to push Nicholls’ lead to 4-1. For the series, Wood went 4-for-9, with two homeruns, two doubles, four runs and five RBIs.
“I was glad I could pull through for everybody,” Wood said. “I’m feeling really good. I guess I’m seeing the ball a little better.”
UTSA scored in the top of the seventh when second baseman Rudi Cantu hit a double to score Kelly Cato. But with two on and two outs, Ensminger enticed Sitka into a groundball, which forced out the runner at third and sealed the win.
UTSA left seven runners stranded on base. “It was frustrating,” said Roadrunners coach Lori Cook. “We didn’t do what we needed to do to get them to score.”
Colonels second baseman Danielle Clayton (21) attempts to turn a double play. * Photo by KEYON JEFF
