Box Score and Play-by-Play

NEW ORLEANS - The Nicholls State University baseball team (18-19) poured it on in the later innings as the Colonels scored seven runs in the final three frames to cruise to a 10-2 win over the University of New Orleans (3-33) and clinch a season sweep of the Privateers on Tuesday night in New Orleans.

The Colonels and Privateers were locked in a pitcher's duel early on as both teams were scoreless through the first three innings.  Nicholls junior left handed starter Patrick Shreve stranded four UNO baserunners through the first 4.0 IP of a 5.0 IP outing, just his second outing after missing over a month due to dead arm.  Unfortuanetly, the Colonel lineup had trouble figuring out Privateer starter Scott Stonestreet until the fourth inning.

The Colonels finally struck in the top of the fourth as a one-out walk and three consecutive two-out hits led to three Nicholls runs.  Junior left fielder Michael LeGrange got the Colonels on the board with an RBI double scoring junior first baseman Blake Bergeron.  Consecutive singles by junior third baseman Mace Krol and junior catcher Evan Weibel followed to put the Colonels up 3-0 after four.

However, after cruising through the first four innings, Shreve ran into trouble in the fifth.  UNO got back into the game with a two-run homer by Steffan Farrell to reduce the Nicholls lead to 3-2.

After being turned away in the fifth and sixth, the Colonels got a boost from Bergeron who launched a three-run homer, his fourth long ball of the year and 33rd RBI giving him the team lead in both categories, to increase the Colonel advantage to 6-2.  Nicholls added three more in the eighth as a two-run double by senior shortstop Chase Jaramillo and an RBI groundout by junior DH Jeremy Hill put Nicholls up 9-2.  Nicholls tacked on one more in the ninth as senior outfielder Kasey Culverson delivered a pinch hit RBI single to score Scott Moseley and make it 10-2.

With the Nicholls lineup pulling away, the Colonel bullpen kepth UNO at bay for the rest of the night.  Senior lefty Brad Delatte came on to deliver 3.0 IP of scoreless relief before turning things over to Hill who struck out a pair of batters in a perfect ninth inning to preserve the win.

The Colonels will return to action on Thursday when Nicholls opens a three-game Southland Conference series against Sam Houston State.  First pitch between the Colonels and Bearkats is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday night at Ray E. Didier Field.