March 27, 2010

Final Stats

THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University team played with a purpose on Sunday afternoon in the Colonel Softball Complex, defeating Central Arkansas 9-1 in five innings to earn its seventh consecutive conference win.

The Colonels (18-9, 11-4 Southland) have won nine of their last 11 overall and are currently riding a four-game winning streak heading into their 10-day break. Nicholls will not play again until Wednesday, April 7 when they host Southern.

With the loss, the Bears (14-20, 3-8 Southland) have now been swept twice this season in conference action.

Nicholls started the game off hot, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first to take the early advantage. Central Arkansas responded with a run in the top of the second to make lessen the deficit, 3-1.

The score would remain the same until the bottom of the fourth when Nicholls took a commanding lead via a three-run homerun by senior Audrey Wood. Wood's homerun, her second in the series, cleared the leftfield wall to plate senior Lyndsay Mesh and sophomore Megan Gaspard. After Wood's homerun, the Colonels led 6-1.

After a scoreless frame by the Bears in the fifth, Nicholls picked up right where it left off, and scored three more runs to bring the mercy rule in effect, ending the game.

The final run in the game that brought the contest to an end came off the bat Mesh, singling to score junior Whitney Roan.

Gaspard was the only Colonel to register multiple hits in the win, going 2-for-3 with two runs, while Wood finished 1-for-2 with four RBI and a run.

Getting the win in the circle was junior Carlee Winkelmann as she improved to 4-3 with the victory. Winkelmann tossed 5.0 innings, only surrendering one run on four hits while fanning one.

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