Feb. 27, 2008

Box Score

HAMMOND, La. - The Colonels were unable to rekindle yesterday's offensive spark or dominance in the circle as they dropped both games against the Lions on Wednesday evening. Nicholls lost 4-1 in the first game and 5-2 in the second.

The Colonels (6-9, 1-2) picked up a run in the top of the first inning in the first game as junior Kodi Butler hit a double down the leftfield line that scored senior Kat Harrell. Harrell led off the game with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball before Butler brought her home.

However, the Lions (11-4, 2-1) scored four runs in their half of the first to recapture the lead. Sophomore Lacey Gros loaded up the bases after she walked the first three Lion batters of the game, and then hit Brooke Lockhart to tie the game up at one apiece. After surrendering another run due to walk, senior Jessica Barksdale replaced Gros in the circle with the bases loaded and no outs.

Barksdale struck out the first batter she faced before yielding a double that brought home two more Lions to make the score 4-1. Barksdale got the final out in the inning by getting Tamara Ladnier to pop out to centerfield to stop the bleeding.

After an explosive first inning, both teams failed to score a run for the remainder of the game. Gros was tabbed with the loss after giving up four walks and four earned runs to fall to 1-2 on the season. Barksdale threw six shutout innings in relief while striking out five and only allowing four hits.

Butler finished 2-for-3 with one RBI, Harrell finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, and sophomore Audrey Wood checked out 2-for-3 at the plate.

The second game was a stalemate until the Lions broke it wide open with a five-run fourth inning to lead 5-0. After SELA's Lockhart hit a RBI single, senior Krystalin Ensminger gave up a grand slam to Allyson McCubbins to cap off the scoring entourage. Ensminger, who fell to 3-4 on the season with the loss, was replaced by Wood after McCubbins shot to left field and successful guided the Colonels out of the inning.

Senior Amy Thibodeaux tried to get some momentum back for the Colonels in the top of the sixth when she hit a two-run homerun to make the score 5-2, but Nicholls was unable to score any more runs for the remainder of the game. Thibodeaux's homerun gave her five for the season and 21 for her career to give her sole possession of second place for career homeruns in Nicholls' record books.

Nicholls will be back in action this Saturday at the Colonel Softball Complex against the 2007 SLC regular season champions Texas-Arlington. Saturday's doubleheader will start at 1 p.m.