March 6, 2010

Final Stats

THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University softball team opened up its 2010 home slate with a pair of one-run extra inning games against McNeese State on Saturday, winning the first, 2-1, and losing the second, 4-3.

Each game required a late rally by the winning team, and both games were decided in the eighth inning.

"Both games were highly competitive," said Head Coach Jenny Parsons. "We really need to come out tomorrow with a high level of intensity, and match today's."

In the first game, both teams struggled to find hits against each squad's aces, totaling five hits between both clubs. The Colonels prevailed behind senior Lacey Gros as she only allowed two hits out of the 26 batters that she faced. Gros allowed one run - unearned - and fanned a total of 13 in the contest to improve to 4-2 on the season.

Dubbed with the loss was Kayla Sheppard, surrendering two runs - one earned - on a mere three hits. Of the hits, two of them came courtesy of sophomore Megan Gaspard, going 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run.

McNeese State drew first blood, scoring in the fifth when Claire Terracina crossed the plate via an error in the infield by the Colonels on a routine ground ball.

The score would remain that way until the bottom of the seventh when Nicholls put two runners in scoring position on the bases, and got the infield RBI single by Gaspard to plate sophomore Kayla Watterson to send the game to extras.

The Cowgirls (13-9, 4-1 Southland) were scoreless in the top half, but the Colonels (9-5, 3-2 Southland) were not so quiet in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with no outs. Sophomore Mandy Granger then hit a hard shot to third base, just out of the reach of the infielder to make a clean play, and senior Audrey Wood scored to end the game.

The second contest saw Nicholls get on the board quick, scoring two in the bottom of the first courtesy of a Granger triple to leftfield. Granger's triple brought in Gaspard and senior Natalie Travasos.

The score would remain that way until the top of the sixth when McNeese State went to work with the bats, and put a two-spot on the board to tie the game. The runs came via a two RBI double by Dani Price with two outs in the inning.

The score remained that way until the top of the eighth when the Cowgirls' Liz Morvant led off the inning with a solo-homerun to deep left field to give McNeese State the 3-2 advantage. McNeese State tacked on another in the inning as Price doubled to leftfield to score Jessica Wilson for the 4-2 advantage.

Nicholls attempted to comeback in the bottom half, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly by Granger to come within one, however that is as close as the team would come.

Picking up the loss for the Colonels was Wood, falling to 3-1 on the season. Wood gave up four runs - only one earned - on seven hits. As a team, Nicholls committed two costly errors in the game.

The Colonels and Cowgirls will battle it out tomorrow in the runner match for the series victory. The contest is scheduled for Noon at the Colonel Softball Complex.

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