Box Score and Play-by-Play

THIBODAUX - Senior right hander Brian Arceneaux delivered one of the best outings of his career, allowing just three runs on four hits over 6.0 IP, and the Nicholls State University baseball team (12-15, 2-9 Southland Conference) used a five-run fifth inning to claim a 7-3 win and even the series with Texas-Arlington (15-12, 7-4 Southland Conference) at one game each on Saturday at Ray E. Didier Field and set the stage for a rubber match with the Mavericks in the finale of the three-game series on Sunday.

Arceneaux tied the longest outing of his career, logging 6.0 IP on Saturday.  The senior righty held the Mavericks off the board through the first four innings, getting help from a pair of double plays turned by the Colonel infield, keeping Texas-Arlington at bay in the early going.

The Colonel lineup did its part, striking early and staking Arceneaux to a 2-0 lead after the first inning of play.  An errant pick off attempt by UTA starter Collin Reynolds scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first.  The Colonels threatened against Reynolds in the second with runners at first and second with no outs, and again in the third with runners at first and second with one out, but the Maverick right hander escaped the jam each time avoiding any damage in the second, third, and fourth.

Meanwhile, UTA finally broke through against Arceneaux in the top of the fifth as Nick Orr drew a leadoff walk before working his way around the bases and coming home on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Walker to cut the Nicholls lead to 2-1 after four and a half.

The Colonels immediately responded in the home half of the fifth, sending ten men to the plate.  With the bases loaded and two outs, Nicholls, which has suffered from bad breaks and plenty of line drives right at the opposing defenders, finally caught a big break.  Senior right fielder Scott Moseley drove a line shot off of Reynolds and beat out the throw before UTA first baseman Jordan Vaughan could chase it down at the edge of the infield.  A pair of runs came home to score and kept the inning alive with Nicholls up 4-1.

However, the Colonels weren't done yet.  With runners at the corners and two outs, junior left fielder Michael LeGrange chopped a grounder to short.  The Mavericks went for what should have been a routine, inning-ending force out, but Moseley beat out the throw to second, scoring junior DH Jeremy Hill from third, and again extending the inning for Nicholls.  Freshman second baseman Philip Lyons took advantage by following with an infield single to load the bases with the Colonels up 5-1.

Senior catcher Jason Dennis followed with a routine fly ball to right center, but UTA right fielder Preston Beck dropped what would have been the third out, scoring Moseley and LeGrange and staking Nicholls to a 7-1 lead.

UTA tried to answer in the top of the sixth as a leadoff triple by Beck was followed by an RBI groundout to make it 7-2, but Arceneaux retired the next to batters to avoid any further damage that inning.

The Mavericks threatened again in the top of the seventh as Arceneaux hit the leadoff batter after going up in the count 1-2, a walk to the following hitter prompted head coach Seth Thibodeaux to go to the bullpen after Arceneaux tied the longest outing of his career.  The Colonel right hander previously went 6.0 IP on Feb. 26 in a win over St. Peter's College.

Arceneaux gave way to freshman right hander Dylan Delaune, who pitched around a jam shot RBI single to left and a Colonel error to escape the inning with the Colonels up 7-3.

Delaune slammed the door the rest of the way on UTA, pitching around back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the eighth to avoid his only real jam of the day en route to a 3.0 IP save, the second of his career.

With the win, the Colonels will look for their first Southland Conference series victory of the season on Sunday when the Colonels take on UT Arlington on Sunday in the finalle of the three-game set at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Ray E. Didier Field.