May 15, 2010
Box Score
THIBODAUX - Senior right fielder Adam Miley drove in a pair of runs, junior center fielder Bear Comer scored twice and senior left fielder Keith Kulbeth and redshirt sophomore first baseman Beau Faulk each had a pair of hits as the Nicholls State University baseball team (23-26, 12-17 Southland Conference) used a four-run eighth to pull away for a 7-3 win over first place Texas State (31-18, 21-8 Southland) to even the three-game Southland Conference series at one game each.
The Colonels struck in their first turn at bat as Kulbeth singled with one out and Miley followed with a walk to put runners at first and second. The Colonel outfielders pulled off a successful double-steal attempt and Bobcat catcher Andrew Stumph's throw to third went wide of the bag, allowing Kulbeth to score and stake Nicholls to a 1-0 lead.
It seemed that would be all Colonel starter Clint Dempster would need. The junior left hander limited Texas State to just two hits while walking four and striking out eight in his 7.0 IP of work. However, after turning the Bobcats away in the first two frame, Dempster walked the first two batters of the third inning. The runners advanced on a ground out and a sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1 after two and a half.
However, the Colonel lineup responded in the their next turn at bat. Comer led off with a double to left center field. After a sacrifice bunt by Kulbeth, Miley brought Comer home by legging out an infield hit. Consecutive singles by Beau Faulk and Brady Bourque brought Miley home and Nicholls claimed a 3-1 lead after three.
With a two-run lead, Dempster settled in. The Thibodaux native retired the side in order in the fourth and sixth and escaped a two-men-on, one-man-out jam in the fifth to kepp the Colonels out in front.
However, a pair of Colonel errors in the seventh led to two unearned runs as Texas State rallied to tie the game again at 3-3 after 7.0.
The Colonels threatened in the seventh by loading the bases with two outs, but the Bobcats pitched out of the jam.
Junior right hander Drew Erwin came on in relief of Dempster in the eighth and pitched around a leadoff double to turn the Bobcats away and preserve the tie, and the Colonel lineup finally broke through in the home half of the eighth.
After a lead off walk to Brady Bourque, shortstop Chase Jaramillo drove a one-out single through the right side. After a flyout, an opportunistic Nicholls lineup took full advantage of five consecutive free passes to plate four runs. Three walks, a hit batsmen and a third strike wild pitch allowing Faulk to reach first base staked Nicholls to a 7-3 lead.
After allowing a two-out single in the ninth, Erwin slammed the door on Texas State by striking out Bobcat first baseman Kyle Livingstone to preserve the win.
The Colonels will look to clinch the series victory on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field.
NOTES:
The win over Texas State snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Colonels and a six-game conference skid. The win over the Bobcats was the first for Nicholls since March 15, 2008.
The victory keeps the Colonels in the hunt for their first Southland Conference Tournament appearance in ten years. Nicholls, which began the day with a 1.5 game lead for the eighth and final Southland Conference tournament spot saw it's lead grow to 2.5 games over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 3.0 games over Sam Houston State.
With four Southland Conference games remaining, the Colonels need:
2 more wins for their first 25-win season since going 28-26 in 2003.
3 more conference wins for their first 15-win Southland Conference season since going 15-12 against Southland competition in 2000.
Keith Kulbeth extended his hitting streak to eight games. Kulbeth has gone 11-for-31 (.355 BA) over his last eight games, collecting three two-hit games. Kulbeth has a double, a homer, two RBI and five runs scored over the streak.
Kulbeth continues to approach a pair of milestones. The Opelousas native needs just two more hits for third career 50-hit season. Kulbeth needs just two more hits for 200 for his career, and six more RBI for 100 for his career.
Nicholls will conclude the home portion of its 2010 schedule when they host the Bobcats for the rubber match of their three-game Southland Conference series on Sunday. The Colonels will honor eight upperclassmen on senior day prior to the 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
