March 12, 2008

Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. - An RBI double by Shane Barksdale in the bottom of the eighth plated Walter Jones for the game-winning run to give the Colonels a 9-8 victory over Louisiana College Wednesday night at Ray E. Didier Field.

"I'm really proud of our guys tonight," said Nicholls head coach Chip Durham. "This was a big win for us as far as momentum is concerned heading into conference play this weekend."

Nicholls used a five-hit, six-run seventh to tie the game at eight. Barksdale knocked a single through the right side that plated Lance Dupuis and the next batter, Brandt Boudreaux, drove a two-RBI single up the middle of the diamond. Kevin Persick and T.J. Menerey also logged RBI hits for the Colonels in the inning.

Drew Erwin (1-0) claimed the win for the Colonels, striking out two of the four batters he faced in the eighth. Dale Dickerson earned his second save of the season, shutting down the Wildcats in the ninth. Dustin Tubre (2-3) took the loss for Louisiana College.

The Colonels jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Jones drew a lead-off walk and scored on an infield ground-out. After that, the squads traded runs back and forth, with the Wildcats taking a 5-2 lead heading to the seventh.

The heart of Nicholls' line-up drove in eight of the 11 runs scored as Barksdale, B. Boudreaux and Anthony Wray each tallied two RBI.

B. Boudreaux went 3-for-5, extending his hitting streak to seven games. Barksdale finished 2-for-4 on the night, as did Kevin Persick, the designated hitter.

"I was really proud of the way our hitters stepped up," added Durham. "They saw our pitchers struggling on the mound and that leadership we've been looking for finally came through. There are signs of improvement for us constantly. We're playing a lot better defensively and we've showed that potential through our last four games."

For the Colonels out of the pen, Erwin and Dickerson each struck out two batters, while Jake Parrish, who pitched 2.1 innings of relief, K'ed three Wildcat batters.

"We stepped up, accepted the challenge and dug our pitchers out of a hole. I told our guys - it doesn't matter what our record is right now, we're 0-0 going into this weekend vs. Texas State."

The Colonels open Southland Conference play Friday, hosting Texas State in a three-game series. Friday night's first pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.

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