Box Score and Play-by-Play

NATCHITOCHES, La. - The Nicholls State University baseball team (16-16, 6-9 Southland Conference) rallied twice from one-run deficits in the eighth and ninth innings to send the game to extras before the Colonels finally pulled away from Northwestern State (10-22, 3-12 Southland Conference) for a 4-3 win in 11 innings on Sunday in Natchitoches.  The victory clinches the Colonels first conference series sweep since 2009 and Nicholls first road conference series sweep since 2002.

After Nicholls claimed victory in each of the first two games of the weekend series, the Demons sent Southland Conference ERA leader Colin Bear to the mound on Sunday looking to avoid the sweep.  Bear held the Colonels in check most of the afternoon, limiting Nicholls to just three hits over his 8.0 IP. 

Fortunately, for Nicholls, junior left handed starter Mike Wisecarver was equal to the task, allowing just five hits and four walks while striking out four in 7.0 IP of work.

However, while Bear kept the Colonels off the board in each of the first seven innings, Northwestern State struck first with a run in the bottom of the fifth.  Wisecarver started the game strong, retiring the first seven batters and 11 of his first 14 batters he faced on Sunday, but Northwestern State finally struck as an unearned run staked the Demons to a 1-0 lead after five.

Nicholls finally broke through against Bear in the top of the seventh.  Sophomore outfielder Mike Barba drew a pinch-hit leadoff walk, which was followed by a sacrifice bunt by junior infielder Austin Flores.  The Demons tried to cut down the lead runner, but Barba beat the throw to second to put two on with no outs.  Senior center fielder Bear Comer followed with another sacrifice bunt, once again Northwestern State tried to cut down the lead runner, but Flores beat the throw to second to load the bases.

Senior shortsstop Chase Jaramillo followed by reaching on an error to bring home Barba, and a sacrifice fly by junior pinch hitter Beau Faulk brought home Flores to put Nicholls up 2-1.

However, after Wisecarver handed a 2-1 lead off to the Nicholls bullpen after a 7.0 IP outing, Northwestern State put together an eighth inning rally.  The Demons strung together four hits and a walk to plate two runs and take a 3-2 lead after eight.

Facing a do-or-die ninth, the Colonels loaded the bases with two outs before Comer forced home junior left fielder Michael LeGrange on an RBI bases-loaded walk to keep Nicholls alive and send the game to the bottom of the ninth tied 3-3.

Freshman lefty Dalton Torres came on in relief in the bottom of the ninth, and took over the game by retiring nine of the ten batters he faced, striking out four and allowing just one hit in a 3.0 IP relief outing.

With Torres keeping the Demons in check, the Nicholls lineup finally broke through in the top of the 11th as Ray Eureste led off by reaching on an error before coming home to score on an RBI single by Flores, making 4-3 heading into the bottom of the 11th.

Torres shut the door on the Demons by retiring the side in order in the bottom of the 11th for his second win of the season.

Sunday's victory gives the Colonels their first conference series sweep since taking three straight from Texas A&M - Corpus Christi in Thibodaux in March of 2009.  Sunday also marks the first road sweep of a conference opponent for the Colonels since taking three in a row at Southeastern Louisiana in May of 2002.

The Colonels have won four-in-a-row, and five straight Southland Conference games.  Nicholls has won five of its last six and eight of its last ten.  The Colonels will try to stretch their winning streak to five when Nicholls heads to South Alabama on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. first pitch against the Jaguars.  A win over South Alabama would give Nicholls a season sweep of the Jaguars after claiming an 11-2 win over South Alabama in Thibodaux back in March.