March 21, 2008

Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Tex. - Nicholls' picked up a 3-0 win behind the arm of sophomore Audrey Wood in the first game as she only allowed four hits, but the Bobcats' bats came alive in the second game as they prevailed 7-1 to split day one of the series.

The Colonels (13-16, 6-5) and Bobcats (19-11, 12-2) will play the rubber match tomorrow at 1 p.m.

In the first game, Nicholls got run support for Wood in the first inning as senior Kat Harrell stole home to give the Colonels the 1-0 lead. The score would remain that way until the top of the fifth until junior Kodi Butler smacked one over the right field fence to score Harrell who singled in her at bat. The homerun by Butler was her first of the season as the Colonels took a 3-0 lead.

Nicholls would go on to win as they scored three runs on six hits with only one fielding error while Texas State had no runs on four hits and no errors. Ragan Blake was tabbed with the loss in the circle as she fell to 8-8 on the season, and Wood picked up the win improving to a team best 4-1.

Leading the Colonels at the plate was Butler as she went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run while Harrell finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Going 1-for-3 in the win was senior Rachel Pugh and junior Danielle Clayton.

Texas State woke up at the plate in the second game as they pumped out seven runs on five hits while playing flawlessly in the field. Nicholls only mustered one run on six hits while committing two costly errors to fall 7-1. The Colonels left six runners on base to the Bobcats seven.

Senior Jessica Barksdale picked up the loss in the circle as she threw the first 3.1 innings and surrendered five runs (four earned), four hits and four walks while striking out four. Senior Krystalin Ensminger relieved her and gave up two unearned runs the rest of the way.

The Colonels only run came in the top of the fifth when Butler hit an RBI single through the left side to score Pugh from second. Leading Nicholls in the batters' box was Butler with a 2-for-3 performance while Wood, senior Amy Thibodeaux, sophomore Leah Bland and true freshman Whitney Roan each had a hit.

Nicholls and Texas State will square off tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the rubber match of the annual series.

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