April 1, 2009

Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. - UNO collected 15 hits en route to a 9-6 win over Nicholls in Wednesday night's non-conference baseball action at Ray E. Didier Field.

The first three Privateer hitters singled and scored to lead off the game as UNO pulled out to an early 3-0 lead. New Orleans added another in the second, scoring an unearned run on a Colonel error, for a 4-0 Privateer advantage.

"It was a tough game," said Head Coach Chip Durham. "We came out in the first two innings and left four runners in scoring position and then had some errors that let runs score that, if we had gotten a timely hit or not made an error here or there, would have made it a different ball game. We came out and competed tonight, but we've really got to concentrate on our defense."

Nicholls (11-15) loaded the bases in the bottom half of the second thanks to a pair of hit batters and a single from catcher Jason Dennis (Mobile, Ala./Alabama Southern CC), but failed to produce a run.

Dennis finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored and was the only Colonel to turn in a multi-hit performance on the night.

The Colonels took the lead, 5-4, in the fourth when leftfielder Josh Swenson (Applevalley, Minn./North Iowa Area CC) scored on a Privateer error for the go-ahead run.

Dennis put the Colonels on the board with a two-run triple down the right field line in the bottom of the fourth, plating Keith Kulbeth (Opelousas, La./Westminister Christian Academy) and Brady Bourque (Gonzales, La./LSU-Eunice) who were each hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.

Two batters later, Chris Murrill (Mobile, Ala./Alabama Southern CC) knocked a triple of his own past the diving UNO centerfielder, scoring Dennis from third. Murrill then came around on a double over the head of the Privateer rightfielder from Swenson.

UNO took the lead back, 6-5, in the top of the fifth with back-to-back basehits to lead off the inning and a pair of two-out hits, but Dennis threw out UNO designated hitter Alan Harris attempting to steal second to get the Colonels out of the inning with no further damage.

Righthander Drew Erwin (Alvin, Texas/Alvin) falls to 1-2 on the season after giving up the two go-ahead runs in the fifth.

Colonel reliever Dale Dickerson (Calhoun, La./Southeast Missouri State) shut down the Privateers through the sixth and seventh, allowing just two hits through seven batters faced.

The Privateers added insurance in the eighth when Harris drove a two-run shot off the scoreboard in right field to give UNO an 8-5 advantage. New Orleans added another in the inning for a four-run lead through seven and a half innings of play.

Nicholls added a run on a sac fly by shortstop Steven Gauthe (Belle Rose, La./Copiah Lincoln CC) that scored Kulbeth, cutting the UNO lead to three and the eventual 9-6 final.

The Colonels will travel to Natchitoches this weekend for a three-game series with the Demons of Northwestern State.

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