Morris Rousse
March 23, 2007Harold Fuselier
March 30, 2007
From NSU Sports Information
McNeese State starting pitcher Derek Blacksher retired the final 21 Nicholls batters to lead the Cowboys to an 11-2 victory over the Colonels, Sunday afternoon at Ray E. Didier Field.
Blacksher (1-4) held the Colonels to only two runs on three hits, with one walk and seven strikeouts to pick up the complete game victory. Jacob Sullivan (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing six earned runs on five hits through 2.1 innings of work.
Thomas Bourne, Brandt Boudreaux and A.J. DeLaneuville each picked up a single for Nicholls (4-21, 0-6 SLC). Bryan Cartie led McNeese (6-22, 3-3 SLC) at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk, four RBI and two runs scored.
The Cowboys scored six runs on five hits in the top of the third inning to take a quick 6-0 lead. Colonel reliever Nathan Quebedeaux came into the game with just one out and the bases loaded to retire the next two batters and prevent any additional runs from scoring. Quebedeaux would hold McNeese hitless through the next three innings.
Nicholls trimmed the lead with two runs in their half of the third. Following an Anthony Wray walk and Bourne single, Patrick Thompson laid down a sacrifice but to advance the runners to second and third base. After a Blacksher wild pitch scored Wray from third, Boudreaux then grounded out to second base, allowing Bourne to score and cut the McNeese lead to 6-2.
While Blacksher was silencing the Colonel bats through the remainder of the game, the Cowboys extended their lead with three runs in the top of the eighth, and two more in the ninth, to complete the sweep of the three-game weekend series.
The Colonels dropped the previous two games, 2-1 and 7-5.
The Colonels return to action on Tuesday, when they travel to Metairie, La. to take on Tulane at Zephyr Field. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
Softball team drops series to UTSA, 2-1
The Colonels put 14 hits on the scoreboard against UTSA in the rubber match on Sunday, but only managed to score three runs in their 7-3 loss to the Roadrunners.
The Colonels had six players with six players with two hits, but left 12 runners staranded in the loss.† UTSA only had seven hits, but scored nine runs.
“We can’t expect to win if we leave 12 runners on base against one of the best teams in our conference,” said head coach Jenny Parsons.† “I thought that we played well defensively, but we just didn’t get it down when we had to today at the plate.”
The Colonels (17-12, 8-3) started off the game with three hits in the first inning that included a solo homerun by sophomore Kodi Butler.† Nicholls closed out the top of the first inning 1-0.† The Roadrunners (18-18, 12-3) got the run back in their half of the first on a single by Aimee Murray that drove home the lead off hitter Jessica Rogers.† Some more run support came on a 3-run homerun by UTSA’s Mercedes Hessel to take a 4-1 lead after one complete.
Senior Jennifer Campbell responded in the second with a solo shot over the scoreboard that made the score 4-2 after one and a half innings in favor of UTSA.† The Roadrunners threatened in the bottom half of the second, but the Colonels escaped any havoc courtesy of an inning ending fly out by Murray.
In the top of the third, senior Jacqueline Pacheco led off the inning with a double to centerfield.† Freshman Leah Bland pinch ran for Pacheco, and was thrown out at the plate after sophomore Danielle Clayton doubled to right center.† Junior Rachel Pugh flied out in foul territory to end the inning with nothing to show for the Colonels.† The Roadrunners failed to score in their half to leave the score 4-2 UTSA.
The fourth inning was scoreless with both teams threatening in their half inning.† The Roadrunners had bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, but Butler made a smooth diving catch in centerfield to end the inning with no harm done.
Nicholls responded with a pair of right field hits by senior Leah Peterson and Pacheco in the top of the fifth, but Clayton went down on strikes to end the Colonels half of the fifth.
After walking a batter and giving up a double, junior Jessica Barksdale came on to relieve junior Krystalin Ensminger in the top of the sixth with no outs.† The Roadrunners put together back-to-back squeeze plays that scored three runs to make the score 6-2.† The bleeding stopped there for the Colonels, as the inning ended on a line drive out by Jessica Rogers to Peterson at third base.
The top of the sixth presented the best scoring opportunity for the Colonels as Pugh, Campbell, and sophomore Gabby Lemaire loaded the bases on three consecutive singles.† Junior Kat Harrell grounded to Murray at shortstop who tagged Campbell and threw out Pugh at the plate for the double play.† Nicholls loaded up the bases again in the inning, but failed to bring any Colonels home.†
The Roadrunners’ Murray hit a line drive homerun out of center field in the bottom of the sixth to extend their lead 7-2, and after six complete the Colonels headed into the top of the seventh down by five.
Junior Amy Thibodeaux hit a roping double to left center, and was pulled for freshman Ashley Martin, who scored after a single by Pugh.† The late efforts by the Colonels fell short as they went onto lose 7-3.
The teams split their Saturday doubleheader, with Nicholls winning the opener 7-6. They loss the second game, 4-1.
Nicholls will be back in action in Thibodaux, La. next weekend when Southland Conference rival Northwestern State comes to town.† The doubleheader on Saturday is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.
