THIBODAUX – The Nicholls State University softball team heads into their second weekend of Southland Conference action when they make the trip to Lake Charles, La. for a three-game series against McNeese State University at Cowgirl Diamond. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's finale are both slated for a 1 p.m. first-pitch.

The Colonels (7-11, 1-1 SLC) are coming off a weekend split in their home opener against Sam Houston State. Nicholls defeated the Bearkats 7-4 in game one before falling 5-3 in the second contest. The Colonels were set to host Southern University on Mardi Gras Tuesday but the game was postponed due to weather.

McNeese State (7-15, 1-5 SLC) picked up their first conference victory last weekend, knocking off Central Arkansas 2-0 in the series finale to avoid the three-game sweep. The win also snapped a four-game skid for the Cowgirls.

Megan Gaspard, Ashley Ray, and Brittany Marcet, who head the Colonel lineup, are all hitting over .323 for the season while Ray has been the top run producer with 22 RBIs and six home runs. The trio has accounted for nearly 50 percent of the Colonels' hits so far while driving in over half of the team's runs.

A pair of freshman, Kat Angeles and Lauren Jolivette, also chipped in at the plate last weekend against SHSU. Angeles had two hits and scored once in game one while Jolivette finished with a pair of hits in game two.

In the circle, both Colonel starters had solid outings against the Bearkats. Ashton Bennett earned her fourth win of the year with a three-strikeout, seven-inning performance in Nicholls' 7-4 win on Sunday. In the 5-3 loss, Winklemann gave up one earned run in five-plus innings but was tagged with the L.

McNeese used 18 hits on Sunday to earn a split of their twin-bill against Central Arkansas. The Cowgirls looked to have the first game in the bag but would fall victim to a seventh inning three-run homer as UCA went on to win 7-5.

Leading McNeese at the plate is Molly Guidry with a .333 batting average, five home runs and 19 RBIs. Rounding out the leaders for the Cowgirls are Claire Terracina and Katie Roux, who are both hitting over .280 on the year.

Kayla Shepherd and Meagan Bond lead the pitching staff with three wins each. Shepherd has a 3.11 ERA with nine complete games and two shutouts.

Nicholls has posted a 1-3 road record and McNeese sits at 5-3 at Cowgirl Diamond. Against common opponents, Nicholls is 4-2 while MSU is 2-2, with each team falling to LSU and Southern Miss.

First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. Live audio courtesy of thibodauxonline.com and live stats will be available by visiting geauxcolonels.com.