Ernest Rodrigue
April 16, 2007
Antoinette Rodrigue
April 18, 2007
From Nicholls Sports Information
The Bearkats won both contests on Sunday to take the series from Nicholls as they won the first game 8-0 and took the second battle 7-4 in 11 innings of play.
“We dug ourselves a hole in the first game by giving up five runs in the first and we never did recover,” said head coach Jenny Parsons. “Kodi (Butler) pitched great in the second game, but we made a costly error in the second inning that hurt us later on.”
The Colonels (22-20, 11-9) have lost their last three conference series, and only have three wins in conference play since starting out 9-1 in the Southland. Sam Houston State (23-19, 12-6) has now won their last four conference series, which includes the series win over the Colonels.
The first contest on Sunday got underway with a bang as junior Krystalin Ensminger gave up five runs on six hits in only a third of the first inning.†Junior Jessica Barksdale was brought on in relief in the first game to get the Colonels out of the first inning jam. Barksdale held the Bearkats in check by only allowing two hits through her first three and 2/3 innings of relief, but Sam Houston State put a three spot on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth.
Nicholls failed to score a run in the first contest as they fell 8-0 heading into the rubber match of the series.†Sophomore Kodi Butler got the starting nod in the circle for the series finale, and did not disappoint as she had a no-hitter going until the sixth when the Bearkats’ Stephanie Mosley hit a single to right field.
Both teams in the second game scored their lone run in regulation on errors with the Colonels coming in the bottom of the first, and the Bearkats scoring theirs in the top of the second.†The score remained knotted until the tenth inning when both teams again exchanged a run in their half of the inning to tie the score at two a piece.†
However, Sam Houston State lit up the scoreboard in the top of the 11th with five runs on five hits to give the Bearkats enough cushion for the win.†Nicholls responded in the bottom of the 11th with two runs of their own, but the contest ended with Nicholls on the short end of a 7-4 decision for the series.
The Colonels won Saturday’s opening game, 1-0. The 12-inning marathon ended when Rachel Pugh scored Kat Harrell for the 1-0 win.
The Colonels will be back in action on Saturday April 21, at McNeese State when they play the Cowgirls.†Game times for the doubleheader series opener are set for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and the series finale on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m.
Baseball drops another series
The Central Arkansas Bears captured the weekend series with the Nicholls Colonels by winning Sunday afternoon’s rubber game, 15-0. The game ended after seven innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.
With the loss, the Colonels fall to 5-32 overall on the season, and 1-14 in Southland Conference play. Central Arkansas leaves Thibodaux with a 15-19 overall record, 5-10 in conference.
Michael Bartek (0-8) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs, four earned, on seven hits, while striking out six, through five innings of work. Matt Whitaker (3-3) went the distance for the Bears, giving up just three hits and striking out five.
Ryan Bledsoe recorded a double for Nicholls, while Keith Kulbeth and Quinton Corley each added singles. Kevin Rawls, Craig Nyborg and Matt Warren led the way for Central Arkansas, combining to finish 7-for-14 at the plate, with a double, two homeruns, seven RBI and six runs scored.
The Bears jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Jonathan Ashworth led off the inning by getting hit by a Bartek pitch. A Chris Davis walk put runners at first and second. Consecutive fielder’s choice groundouts allowed Ashworth to come around and score the initial run of the game.
Central Arkansas extended their lead to 4-0 with three runs in the fourth inning. With one out, Graham Martin was hit by Bartek and then advanced to third on a Scott Cline single to right center field. A two RBI double by Rawls and an RBI single up the middle by Nyborg gave the Bears the four-run advantage.
All of the remaining 11 runs scored by the Bears would be unearned. Central Arkansas increased its lead to 8-0 with four runs in the top of the sixth inning, courtesy of two hits, including a Warren two-run homer, and two costly Colonel errors.
A seven-run outburst in the top of the seventh inning, including a two-run homerun by Nyborg and three-run blast by Chris Houk, gave Central Arkansas the 15-0 victory.
Nicholls will return to action on Tuesday, when they travel to Mobile, Ala. to take on South Alabama. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Outdoor track and field continues setting school records
The Nicholls outdoor track and field team continues to re-write the all-time top five lists in school history, as eight athletes moved into the Colonels’ top five performers’ list for their performances at the Seminole Twilight in Tallahassee, Fla., on the campus of Florida State University.
LaNation McCray, Rahjanaye Bailey and the 4×200-meter relay team of Chelsea Dockrey, Latasha Bishop, McCray and Nicoya Hutcherson all moved into second place in the Nicholls record books in their respective events. McCray completed the 400-meter dash in time of 59.29 (ninth place), while Bailey finished the 400-meter hurdles in third place overall with a time of 1:07.71 (third place). Both times were personal bests. Bailey also ran the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 15.66 (fourth place), which ranks second in the Nicholls all-time record books. The 4×200-meter relay team ran in 3:59.63, placing first in that track event.
Lauren Bazunu’s time of 12.68 (11th place) in the 100-meter dash ranks her third all-time in the Colonel books, while her 200-meter dash time of 26.90 (12th) moved her into fifth place.
The Nicholls 4X100-meter relay team, consisting of, Bailey, McCray, Dominique Harris and Bazunu, moved into third place on the all-time list, with a time of 50.21 (third place overall).
Jarina Guilbeau also moved her name onto the Nicholls all-time list with a time of 15.82 in the 100-meter hurdles. The time moved her into fourth place on the Nicholls list, and also placed her fifth overall in the event.
Leslie Bourgeois continued setting regional qualifying marks in the javelin, after her toss of 150-09 gave her a first place finish in the event.
Other Colonel performers included: Hutcherson (400-meter dash, 1:02.09, 13th); Bishop (400-meter dash, 1:05.42, 16th); Eunice Jepkogei (1500-meter run, 5:09.32, eighth; 3000-meter run, 11:47.88, 10th); Harris (100-meter hurdles, 15.90, sixth; high jump, 5-00.25, seventh); Sabrina Henkes (400-meter hurdles, 1:09.32, sixth); Guilbeau (400-meter hurdles, 1:12.24, seventh) and Dockrey (high jump, 5-04.25, fourth).
The Colonels return to competition on April 26, when they participate in Lamar’s Ty Terrell Relays in Beaumont, Texas.
NSU softball vs North Texas, 1st game of double-header after ribbon cutting ceremony for field. Nicholls lost 3-5. Photo by Doug Keese/Nicholls State2/20/06
