Game One Box
Game Two Box

THIBODAUX – Junior Ashley Ray set a school record with three home runs while driving in seven to lead the Nicholls State University softball team (11-33, 4-18 SLC) to an 8-0 mercy-rule victory in the first game of its doubleheader against Southeastern Louisiana (19-25, 9-14 SLC) on Tuesday night at the Colonel Softball Complex. The Colonels then used 13 hits in the second contest to complete the twin-bill sweep, taking the night cap 8-4.

Ray, who came into the contest tied for the Southland Conference lead in home runs with 11, broke the program single-game mark of two, which was held by several former players. The Lafayette, La., native also pulled even for the Nicholls single-season record of 14 set by Amy Thibodeaux in 2008.

Along with Ray's day at the plate, Ashton Bennett came close to putting her name into the record books as she took a no-hitter into the top of the sixth of game one before surrendering a two-out double. Bennett faced the minimum in three of her six innings and finished with four strikeouts.

For game one, Whitney Roan, who finished 4-for-4, drove in the first run in the third before Ray took advantage of a strong wind to hit her first homer of the day to make it 3-0. In the following inning, Laine Strickland and Roan singled to put two on with two outs for Ray, who then blasted a three-run shot to dead center.

In the sixth, after SLU's Kelsey Nichols broke up Bennett's no-hit bid, Ray set the Nicholls record with her third long ball of the game, a two-run shot to left center to give Nicholls an 8-0 victory in six innings.

Kenna Terry was tagged with the loss, pitching 5.2 innings with eight earned runs on 11 hits. Terry finished with seven strikeouts.

In the second game, Laine Strickland and Mandy Granger combined for six hits with Strickland tallying a career-best four RBIs as the Colonels won their second game in a row after snapping its 13-game skid.

The Colonels had a total team effort in game two with eight different players recording a hit. Megan Gaspard chipped in with two hits and two stolen bases.

Carlee Winklemann picked up the win, tossing 4.2 innings with one strikeout. She gave up three earned runs on eight hits.

Nicholls raced out to a 7-2 lead after four innings, but the Lady Lions cut into the lead in the fifth on a two-run shot by Katie Matthews . Still threatening with the bases loaded and two down, freshman Katie Moulder came in for relief and picked up a three-pitch strikeout to keep SLU at bay. Nicholls tacked on one more before Moulder went on to pick up her first career save as the Colonels won 8-4.

Moulder finished with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings, giving up two hits.

For SLU, Katie Morse took the loss, throwing 2.2 innings with seven runs on eight hits.

The Lady Lions had 10 hits, led by Megan Moore, Trish Bliss and Megan McCollum with two each.

Nicholls will try for its first Southland Conference sweep of the year as they wrap up the series with SLU on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Live stats and live audio will be available courtesy of ThibodauxOnline.com and geauxcolonels.com.