Box Score and Play-by-Play

THIBODAUX - Once again, junior right hander Seth Webster delivered a stellar outing, but once again a late rally cost the Nicholls starter a chance at his first victory as a Colonel.  Webster delivered 7.0 IP of one-run ball, striking out ten batters, the most strikeouts by a Nicholls hurler since Clint Dempster struck out 16 in 2010.  However, after exited the game with the Nicholls State University baseball team (7-9, 0-4 Southland Conference) leading 4-1, the Colonels allowed two runs in the eighth and four in the ninth to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (13-9, 1-3 Southland Conference) giving the Islanders a 7-4 lead in the opener of a three-game Southland Conference series at Ray E. Didier Field in Thibodaux on Friday night.

Webster turned in a dominant night on the mound, limiting the Islanders to seven hits and no walks while striking out ten batters in 7.0 IP.  Webster retired 12 of the first 15 batters he faced and allowed just three hits through the first five innings.

Meanwhile, the Colonels struck in the bottom of the third as senior center fielder Bear Comer drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior shortstop Chase Jaramillo, stole third and came home to score when junior first baseman Blake Bergeron reached on an error.  Bergeron would steal second and come home to score on an RBI single by junior designated hitter Beau Faulk to stake Nicholls to a 2-0 lead after three innings.

Nicholls extended its lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth as freshman second baseman Philip Lyons legged out an infield single with to score junior right fielder Michael LeGrange from third with two outs.

The Islanders finally broke through against Webster in the top of the seventh as a one-out double by Weston Montgomery scored Sean Washington from first.  However, Webster induced a groundout of Islander outfielder Chris Vergne before catching Trey Hernandez looking for his tenth and final strikeout of the night to end the threat with Nicholls leading 3-1.  It was the first ten strikeout game by a Colonel pitcher this year, and the most strikeouts by any one Nicholls hurler since Dempster's 16-K complete game effort against Southeastern Louisiana on April 30, 2010. 

The Colonels immediately got that run back in the bottom of the seventh as Jaramillo led off the inning by launching a solo home run just inside the left field foul pole to give Nicholls a 4-1 lead.

However, the Islanders refused to go away.  TAMUCC sent six men to the plate in the eighth inning, and took advantage of a walk, and an error to score two runs in the top of the eighth despite recording just one hit in the frame, to cut the Nicholls lead to 4-3 after eight.

The Islanders then took advantage of the Colonels' bullpen woes in the top of the ninth, drawing three walks and a hit batsmen to plate four runs in the ninth with just one hit to take a 7-4 lead.

Nicholls threatened in the bottom of the ninth as Lyons drew a leadoff walk, but Islander closer Michael Boyle retired the next three batters he faced to shut the door and record his fifth save of the season.

The Colonels will look to snap a five-game losing streak, and even the three-game series with the Islanders at one game apiece when Nicholls faces Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a 3 p.m. first pitch on Saturday in game two of the series.  A live streaming audio webcast of the game will be made available at www.geauxcolonels.com and www.ThibodauxOnline.com.