Game 1
Game 2

SAN ANTONIO – The Nicholls State University softball team hit four home runs on the day, led by junior Ashley Ray with two, but the University of Texas at San Antonio mounted late comebacks in both contests as the Colonels (9-32, 2-17 SLC) dropped its Southland Conference doubleheader, 7-6 in game one and 5-4 in 10 innings in game two, on Friday at Roadrunner Field.

Ray led the offense on the day, driving in five runs on her two homers. She currently leads the SLC in home runs with 11 on the season, and also cracks Nicholls' all-time career list at ninth with 11. The Colonels' single-season record is 14, set by Amy Thibodeaux in 2008.

Megan Gaspard had another solid day at the plate for Nicholls, tallying five hits with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Gaspard's 14 steals is good for third in the SLC. Brittany Marcet hit her third home run of the season and Whitney Roan notched her first career homer with a 2-run shot in game two.

In the opening game, Marcet gave the Colonels a two-run lead in the second with her home run before UTSA (24-23, 14-12 SLC) cut the deficit in half on a RBI double from Ashley Kappler in the third. The Roadrunners grabbed a 5-2 lead in the next frame by scoring four runs on five hits. Nikki Goff gave UTSA the lead with a two-run homer, and Molly Fichtner capped off the inning with a two-run single.

With two outs in the Colonel sixth, Lauren Jolivette drew a walk followed by a bunt single by Gaspard. Roan then delivered a RBI single up the middle before Ray blasted a three-run shot off the scoreboard in left center to give Nicholls a 6-5 lead.

In the seventh, UTSA led off the inning with three straight hits, tying the game on a RBI single by Jori Fox. After a walk loaded the bases with one out, Samantha Beeson drew four straight balls to give UTSA a 7-6 walk-off victory in game one.

For the second game, Katie Moulder had a career-high six strikeouts and two-run homers from Whitney Roan and Ray gave Nicholls a 4-0 lead, but the Roadrunners chipped away to tie it before handing the Colonels their 12th straight loss.

Moulder threw seven innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. Ashton Bennett, who suffered the loss in game one after going 2.2 innings in relief while allowing one earned on five hits, was tagged with the loss in the second game as well. She threw 2.2 innings, giving up no earned runs on one hit.

Roan gave Nicholls a 2-0 lead in the first with her home run, then Ray belted a two-run shot to center in the third to make it 4-0.

UTSA answered with two solo homers in the third, and one more in the seventh cut the lead to 4-3. With two on and two outs, Fichtner took a 2-2 pitch up the middle to send the game into extras.

In the ninth, Nicholls put two on but failed to score, then Bennett got out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom half to keep the score at 4-4. However, after Nicholls left two on again in the tenth, UTSA got its second walk-off win of the day after a wild pitch brought home the winning run.

The Colonels wrap up the series on Saturday with a single game starting at 12 p.m. Live audio is available courtesy of ThibodauxOnline.com.