Colonel Lineup Comes Alive in 15-3 Win at McNeese - Nicholls State University Athletics

May 20, 2010

LAKE CHARLES, La. - The Nicholls State University baseball team set season highs in hits with 22. Meanwhile sophomore lefty Ryan Cooper handcuffed one of the best hitting teams in the league as the Colonels (25-26, 14-17 Southland Conference) blasted McNeese State 15-3 in eight innings on Thursday night at Cowboy Diamond.

The win in the opener of the three-game Southland Conference series was noteworthy on several fronts for the Colonels. Cooper recorded the second consecutive complete game by a Colonel pitcher, all nine Colonel starters recorded at least one hit and eight recorded multiple hits, senior outfielder Keith Kulbeth passed the 200-career hit mark, the Colonels clinched their first 25-win season since 2003, and (most importantly) Nicholls reduced its magic number to clinch its first conference tournament appearance in ten years to just one.

The Colonels got their busy night started in the first as senior outfielder Adam Miley drove home junior outfielder Bear Comer with an RBI groundout to stake Nicholls to a 1-0 lead. However, McNeese tied it up as Blake Ellender led off the bottom of the first with a homer to make it 1-1. The Cowboys went up 2-1 in the third on a solo shot by Matt Fontenot, but the Nicholls offense wouldn't be held down for long.

Nicholls reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth. Comer drew a walk, and Kulbeth followed with a double to put runners at second and third and put his 200th career hit in the bag. Miley followed with a two-run double and Beau Faulk drove home Miley with an RBI single to make it 4-2. McNeese made it 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth as Steven Irvine scored on an error, however, Cooper settled in after that.

The sophomore lefty kept the Cowboys at bay the rest of the way. Cooper followed senior right hander Tyler Minto's complete game victory last Sunday by turning in his own CG. Cooper limited the Southland's fourth-best hitting team to just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking none in 8.0 IP.

With Cooper keeping the Cowboys off the board, the Colonel lineup stepped on the gas. An RBI double from Comer in the fifth made it 5-3.

Nicholls then batted around in the sixth, plating three more runs. A solo homer by Brady Bourque, an RBI single by Chase Jaramillo and an RBI double by Comer pushed the Colonel advantage to 8-3.

Nicholls added four more in the seventh thanks to a two-run triple by Blake Bergeron, an RBI single by Faulk and an RBI groundout by Kevin Schlegel to make it 12-3. A three-run homer by Faulk made it 15-3 in the eighth, and Cooper shut the door on the Cowboys in the bottom of the eighth to invoke the ten-run rule.

Nicholls will try to clinch the series victory and it's first conference tournament berth since 2000 with a victory over McNeese on Saturday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday night at Cowboy Diamond. A live streaming audio webcast will be made available at www.ThibodauxOnline.com.

NOTES:

Nicholls set new season highs in hits (22) on Thursday. The Colonels previous season high in hits was 18 against Sam Houston State on April 24.

The Colonels can clinch their first Southland Conference Tournament appearance since 2000 with a win over McNeese State. After beginning the day 2.0 games in front of Texas-San Antonio for the eighth and final tournament spot, Nicholls picked up a half game with their Thursday night win. The Colonels could also clinch their tournament spot with a UTSA loss on Friday.

The Roadrunners were rained out of their first game at the University of Central Arkansas on Thursday. The two teams will make up the game with a double header on Friday.

Keith Kulbeth went 2-for-6 to extend his hitting streak to ten games and collected his 200th and 201st career hits. Kulbeth also notched season hit numbers 50 and 51, giving him three 50-hit seasons in four years as a Colonel starter.

With two more regular season Southland Conference games remaining, the Colonels need one more win to clinch their first 15-win Southland campaign since going 15-12 against Southland competition in 2000.

Nicholls has already clinched its first 20-win season since 2005, it's first ten-win Southland campaign since going 11-15 in 2002, and it's first 25-win season since 2003.