Box Score and Play-by-Play

THIBODAUX - The Nicholls State University baseball team (16-18, 6-10 Southland Conference) fought the Central Arkansas Bears (17-17 7-9 Southland Conference) through five lead changes on Friday night.  However, a two-run sixth inning gave Central Arkansas the lead for good as the Bears claimed an 8-6 win in the opener of a three-game Southland Conference series at Ray E. Didier Field on Friday night.

The two teams combined for a 30 hit slugfest on Friday night with Central Arkansas scoring three times in the top of the first.  The Colonels rallied in the bottom half as a two-run triple by senior first baseman Blake Bergeron cut the lead to 3-2 in favor of Central Arkansas.  Nicholls took its first lead of the night in the second on a two-run single by junior DH Jeremy Hill to make it 4-3.

Central Arkansas reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth as a two run inning made it 5-4 in favor of the Bears, however, the Colonels immediately answered in the bottom half of the fourth as a wild pitch scored senior catcher Jason Dennis from third and an RBI single by Hill (his second hit and third RBI on a 3-for-5, 3 RBI night) put the Colonels ahead 6-5.

Unfortunately, for Nicholls, the Bears had one last rally in them as UCA scored twice in the sixth to take a 7-6 lead.  Meanwhile, UCA reliever Evan Cox came on for the Bears and held the Colonels off the board in each of the final four frames to preserve the lead.  Central Arkansas added one more run in the top of ninth for the 8-6 final.

The Colonels will try to even the series at one game each when Nicholls faces the Bears in game two of the three game Southland Conference series on Saturday.  First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field.