April 25, 2010
Box Score
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - The Nicholls State University baseball team (20-19, 10-11 Southland Conference) pounded out 13 runs on 13 hits. Meanwhile Colonel starter Tyler Minto limited Sam Houston State (16-22, 9-12 Southland) to just three runs on eight hits as Nicholls invoked the Southland's ten-run rule to beat the Bearkats 13-3 in 7.0 innings on Sunday.
Sunday's win in the rubber match of the three-game series between the two Southland Conference rivals was a milestone victory for the Colonels on many fronts. With the win, Nicholls claimed their first 20-win season since going 22-31 in 2005. Now with ten conference wins, Nicholls surpassed their 2009 Southland win totals and recorded their first double-digit conference win campaign since going 11-15 in the Southland in 2002.
Coupled with last weekend's two-out-of-three series victory at Central Arkansas, the Colonels have won consecutive conference series for the first time since 2001.
After coming from behind on two separate occasions to win on Saturday, the Colonels jumped out in front early and stayed there on Sunday. Nicholls claimed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Bear Comer led off with a single. Keith Kulbeth sacrificed Comer to second, and Adam Miley put runners at the corners with one out. A walk to Beau Faulk loaded the bases and Brady Bourque singled home Comer and Miley for a 2-0 lead.
After being held off the board in the second and third, Nicholls exploded in the top of the fourth. One day after allowing an eight run seventh inning to SHSU, the Colonels gave the Bearkats a taste of their own medicine by sending 13 men to the plate to score eight runs on nine hits in the fourth and go up 10-0 after three and a half.
Bourque, Chase Jaramillo and Kasey Culverson loaded the bases with three consecutive singles to start the inning. Senior catcher Kevin Schlegel followed with his first career home run, a grand slam to put Nicholls up 6-0. The Colonels kept up the hit parade as the next five batters notched base hits to give Nicholls nine consecutive base hits to start the inning. Four more runs would come home that inning as Nicholls blew the game open.
Staked to a big lead, Minto cruised through the early part of the game. The senior right hander allowed just a pair of base hits over the first 3.0 innings before allowing a solo home run to Chris Andreas to lead off the fourth. However, Minto soon regained his composure and went on to claim his second complete game of the season. The Mobile, Ala. native allowed just three runs on eight hits while striking out six and allowing no walks.
The Colonels tacked on three more in the fifth as Steven Gauthe led off the inning with his first career homer. A bases-loaded wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Bourque put the Colonels up 13-1. Sam Houston tried to rally to avoid the ten-run rule by adding two in the sixth on a pair of RBI singles, but Minto settled in once again; retiring the final four batters he faced (two via strikeout) to end the contest early.
The Colonels now return to Nicholls to host South Alabama in the conclusion of a two-game season series with the Jaguars. Nicholls will try to split the series with the Jags after falling 13-7 at South Alabama back on April 13.
First pitch for Tuesday's series finale with South Alabama is set for 6:00 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field. Nicholls will try for their third consecutive conference series victory when the Colonels play Southeastern Louisiana in a home-away-home format beginning on Friday.
NOTES:
Beau Faulk extended his hitting streak to nine games by going 1-for-3 with an RBI. The DH/3B/1B is hitting .511 (18-for-35) with 12 RBI, six runs scored, a .595 OBP and a .629 Slugging percentage.
The last time Nicholls won consecutive Southland Conference series was 2001 when the Colonels won three straight series: at Lamar (March 24: W, 9-4; March 24: L, 9-7; March 25: W, 7-4), against Northwestern State (March 30, W, 7-3; March 31: L, 18-5; April 1: W, 8-6) and at Louisiana-Monroe (April 5: W, 11-4, April 6: W, 3-2; April 7: L, 12-7).
With 14 regular season games (12 Southland Conference games) remaining the Colonels need the following:
5 more overall wins for their first 25-win season since going 28-26 in 2003.
5 more conference wins for their first 15-win Southland Conference season since going 15-12 against Southland competition in 2000.
10 more overall wins for their first 30-win season since going 31-19 in 1993.
10 more conference wins for their first ever 20-win conference season.
