Box Score and Play-by-Play

LAFAYETTE, La. - The Nicholls State University baseball team (1-3) had a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning, but the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (2-2) rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth and the Cajun bullpen held the Colonels scoreless the rest of the way as ULL claimed the first game of a home-and-home series between the two in-state rivals by a final of 5-4 on Tuesday night.  The two teams will conclude the series on Wednesday when the Cajuns visit Thibodaux for the Colonels 2011 home opener.

The Colonels struck first, putting up a three spot in the top of the first.  Nicholls took advantage of a pair of walks and strung together three hits, the biggest of which were a two-run single by junior outfielder Jeremy Hill and an RBI base hit by junior designated hitter Blake Bergeron, to take a 3-0 lead after a half inning of play.

Staked to an early lead, Nicholls' junior lefthanded starter Mike Wisecarver settled in early on.  The Colonel southpaw retired the first six batters he faced before allowing a leadoff double in the bottom of the third.  The Cajuns would take advantage as wild pitch and a sacrifice fly plated the first ULL run of the game and made it 3-1 after three.

After a scoreless fourth, each team got a run in its half of the fifth as junior third baseman Mace Krol delivered an RBI single for the Colonels in the top half and ULL got an RBI double in the bottom half to make it 4-2 after five.

After delivering 5.0 solid innings of work, in which he allowed just three runs on five hits while striking out one, Wisecarver gave way to the Nicholls bullpen in the sixth after allowing a leadoff walk.  Unfortunately, for Nicholls, sophomore lefty Corey Poche allowed a pair of runs on one hit and two walks before giving way to freshman right hander Dylan Delaune who got the final out of the inning, but not before ULL had taken the 5-4 lead.

That would be all that ULL reliever Taylor Hubbell would need as the Cajun reliever finished off an 8.2 IP relief outing by retiring nine of the final 12 batters he faced to keep the Colonels off the board the rest of the way.

After a three up-three down seventh, and an inning-ending double play in the eighth limited Nicholls to the minimum batters in the next two frames, the Colonels tried to mount one last rally in the ninth.  After Hubbell retired the first two Colonel batters of the final frame, senior shortstop Chase Jaramillo and senior outfielder Scott Moseley delivered back-to-back singles to put the tying run in scoring position.  Unfortunately, for Nicholls, Hubbell delivered his fifth and final strikeout of the night to secure the win for ULL.

Nicholls will try to split the series with the Cajuns on Wednesday when Nicholls hosts ULL for a 6 p.m. first pitch at Ray E. Didier Field in Thibodaux for the Colonels 2011 home debut.