Nicholls State University

Colonels Rout Jacks, Even Series, with 11-1 Win

March 27, 2010

THIBODAUX - The Colonels pounded out 13 hits and junior lefty Clint Dempster notched his first career complete game as the Nicholls State University baseball team (13-9, 4-4 Southland Conference) evened its three-game conference series with Stephen F. Austin (14-7, 5-2 Southland) by invoking the ten-run rule against the Lumberjacks and winning 11-1 in seven innings on Saturday.

Four different Colonels recorded multi-hit contests, lead by Kasey Culverson's 3-for-3 day. Chase Jaramillo went 2-for-2 with two RBI and three runs, Brady Bourque was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Bear Comer went 2-for-4 with a run and a pair of RBI, the second of which came on a bases loaded walk in the Colonels' four-run seventh inning to plate the 11th run of the game and end it.

Dempster labored early in the day, passing the 50 pitch mark before the end of the third inning. However, the Thibodaux native soon settled in, retiring ten consecutive batters from the third through the sixth. Dempster limited the best hitting team in the league to just six hits and three walks over 7.0 IP. Dempster allowed an RBI single in the sixth, but struck out five and stranded nine Lumberjack runners to keep SFA in check.

The Colonel lineup wasted no time getting started, plating three in the bottom of the first. Jaramillo singled home Comer to open the scoring, and Miley drove home a pair with a two-run triple put Nicholls up 3-0 after one.

Nicholls added two more in the second as Comer beat out a bunt with runners at the corners to drive in a run. Jaramillo followed two batters later with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.

Nicholls went up 7-0 in the fifth as an SFA error and an RBI groundout by Tristan Rogers plated two more for the Colonels and chased Jacks' starter Justin Braddock.

SFA broke through with an RBI single in the top of the sixth, but Nicholls answered by putting the game on ice with a four-run seventh. Nicholls batted around against three different SFA pitchers in the seventh for the final 11-1 margin.

With the win, the Colonels evened their three-game series with the Jacks at one game each and hand Braddock (3-1) his first loss of the season. Nicholls will look for their second conference series win in three tries this season when they host SFA in the series finale beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday.