April 9, 2009

Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. - Central Arkansas broke a 2-2 stalemate, scoring four runs in the top of the seventh en route to a 7-2 victory over Nicholls Thursday night at Ray E. Didier Field.

Jonathan Yerby doubled off the wall down the left field line, bringing in two Bear runners, and scored later in the inning on a Colonel error, helping UCA pull ahead 6-2 through six and a half.

"We did a very poor job defensively tonight," said Colonel skipper Chip Durham. "We came out and scored those two in the first, but their pitcher, Cloud, did a great job shutting us down."

Righthander Jeremy Cloud went the distance for the Bears, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out five through nine innings of work.

The Bears (15-14, 8-8 SLC) took the lead 1-0 in the top of the first with a pair of doubles from Huffman and Geren, but Nicholls answered with two of their own in the bottom of the inning as Josh Swenson's (Applevalley, Minn./North Iowa Area CC) single up the middle brought in Chris Murrill (Mobile, Ala./Alabama Southern CC) and Keith Kulbeth (Opelousas, La./Westminister Christian Academy), who singled to lead off the Colonel half of the first.

Central Arkansas evened things up in the second on an RBI single up the middle from Tye Throneberry plated Blake Roberts for the tying run.

Lefty Jarret Dunnam (Saraland, Ala./Alabama Southern CC) went seven innings, fanning five and allowing six runs (five earned) on eleven hits in his eighth start of the season as he falls to 3-5 on the year.

Nicholls (13-18, 6-10 SLC) threatened in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases on a single from Kulbeth and a pair of free passes from the UCA pitcher, but couldn't manufacture a run.

"We had an opportunity in the sixth to produce some runs that could have turned the game around for us," Durham added, "but unfortunately we couldn't get anything done. We've got to come out tomorrow and compete and give ourselves a chance to win the series on Saturday."

Central Arkansas added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on an RBI single from Yerby for a 7-2 lead.

Kulbeth went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Nicholls, while Murrill, the only other Colonel to record multiple hits, turned in a 2-for-5 performance.

Righthander Drew Erwin (Alvin, Texas/Alvin) threw two inings of three-hit relief for Nicholls, allowing one unearned run.

The Colonels and Bears will meet Friday at 6 p.m. for game two of the series.

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