March 26
March 26, 2008
Howard Edward Green
March 28, 2008McNeese State scored eight runs off of eight hits and one Colonels error to sweep the weekend series, defeating Nicholls 8-5 Sunday at Cowboy Diamond.
Cowboys starter Ryan Frantz (1-4) threw 7.2 innings, surrendering four earned runs on six hits and four strikeouts.
Justin LeBleu got his second save of the weekend, with an inning and a half of relief.
Lance Dupuis (0-3) took the loss after 6.1 innings of work. Dupuis struck out a season-high seven, but allowed seven runs (five earned) on six hits
The Colonels (4-16, 1-5 SLC) scored an early 2-0 lead on RBI base hits by Shane Barksdale and Anthony Wray, but quickly found themselves down, giving up three runs in the bottom half of the inning for the third-straight game.
Nicholls put two runs on the board in the third inning on a walk and two hits.
McNeese (6-14, 3-3 SLC) answered with three of their own in the fifth to take a 6-4 lead they would not relinquish.
Wray went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Brett Hoeflich, also 2-for-4, drove in one run.
The Colonels will travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, for a weekend conference series with Texas A & M-Corpus Christi starting Friday at 2 p.m.
Nicholls State’s girl’s team had an equally tough time on the diamond this weekend.
After spliting Friday’s doubleheader, Texas State broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth Saturday to win 3-2 at Bobcat Field.
Texas State (20-11, 13-2) scored the final run on a wild pitch by Colonels senior Krystalin Ensminger that brought home McKenzie Baack from third.
Bobcats pitcher Katie Garnett (10-4) got the win, while Ensminger (4-9) was dubbed with the loss.
Texas State muscled out three runs on seven hits while committing three errors.
Nicholls only had two runs on four hits while committing two miscues.
Nicholls (13-17, 6-6) started the game with a run in back-to-back innings as senior Kat Harrell scored in the first on a RBI single by junior Danielle Clayton.
Sophomore Nicole Smith hit a solo homerun to give Nicholls a 2-0 lead after two innings. It was Smith’s first homerun as a Colonel.
The 2-0 lead was erased in the bottom of fourth when Texas State picked up two runs on two hits and one costly error by Smith that allowed the Bobcats to keep the inning going.
Clayton led Colonels hitters going 2-for-4 with a RBI while Smith and junior Kodi Butler each recorded one hit.
The Colonels travel to Ruston to play a doubleheader against Louisiana Tech Thursday afternoon. Game one begins at 3 p.m. with Nicholls hosting conference foe Texas-San Antonio Saturday and Sunday.
