April 18, 2010

Box Score

CONWAY, Ark.- The Nicholls State University baseball team (17-18, 8-10 Southland Conference) piled up 12 hits and jumped out to an early 4-1 lead after the first three innings before pulling away for an 8-4 win over Central Arkansas (11-24, 4-14 Southland Conference) to clinch the series victory over the Bears on Saturday.

After a late rally came up short in the form of a 7-4 loss on Friday night, the Colonels rallied for a 5-3 win on Saturday behind Clint Dempster's complete game to set up the rubber match between the two conference rivals.

Nicholls started strong as the Colonels plated four runs on five hits over the first three innings. Beau Faulk, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, had RBI singles in the first and third. After Faulk staked Nicholls to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first by driving in Bear Comer with a two-out RBI single, Chase Jaramillo made it 2-0 in the second. The Colonel shortstop led off the inning with a single to center then stole second, third and home (for the third time this season) to make it 2-0.

Central Arkansas got a run back in the second as Nicholls' starter Tyler Minto allowed an RBI double to Drew Sullivan, but Minto soon settled in. The Colonel right hander delivered 8.0 solid innings, limiting UCA to three earned runs on six hits while striking out five and walking just one.

The Colonels gave Minto some breathing room in the third. After Sullivan's RBI double made it 2-1, Faulk delivered again. Like the first, the Houston native singled home Comer with a two-out RBI base hit to center field. However, this time, a fielding error by UCA center fielder Tye Throneberry allowed Faulk to reach third. The Colonels capitalized on another costly UCA error as Blake Bergeron extended the inning by reaching on an error at shortstop and scoring Faulk to make it 4-1.

Minto retired the next nine conseuctive batters to keep the Colonels out front 4-1, until Nicholls extended its lead in the top of the fifth. A three-run homer by Brady Bourque made it 7-1. However, UCA cut into the Colonel lead once again.

The Bears scored three times in the home half of the fifth thanks to two hits, a walk and a Nicholls error. However, Minto regained his composure by retiring six of the final eight batters he would face and allowing just one more base hit in his 8.0 IP.

The Colonels added an insurance run in the top of the ninth as Adam Miley singled home Comer for the third time on the day to make it 8-4 and Brad Delatte came on in relief of Minto, delivering a three-up, three-down ninth to seal the series win.

NOTES:

The series win is the Colonels' first Southland road series win of the 2010 season, and the first time Nicholls took two of three on the road against a conference opponent since taking two of three at Texas-Arlington May 2-4, 2008.

The series victory also marks the Colonels' first series win since taking two of three from Lamar at home March 12-14.

With 18 overall regular season games (15 Southland Conference games) remaining, the Colonels need:

3 more overall wins for their first 20-win season since going 22-31 in 2005.

2 more conference wins for their first 10-win Southland Conference season since going 11-15 in the Southland in 2002.

8 more overall wins for their first 25-win season since going 28-26 in 2003.

7 more conference wins for their first 15-win Southland Conference season since going 15-12 against Southland competition in 2000.

13 more overall wins for their first 30-win season since going 31-19 in 1993.

12 more conference wins for their first ever 20-win conference season.