Box Score and Play-by-Play

NATCHITOCHES, La. - The Nicholls State University baseball team (15-16, 5-9 Southland Conference) relinquished a one-run eighth inning lead to Northwestern State (10-21, 3-11 Southland Conference), only to score four times in the top of the ninth to take the lead for good against the Demons, picking up a 6-3 win over Northwestern State in Natchitoches on Saturday.

Saturday's win comes on the heels of a Friday night victory for the Colonels and clinches the series win for Nicholls.  After taking two-of-three from Texas-Arlington, the Colonels have won two consecutive series and will go for their first conference series sweep of the season on Sunday.

The game began as a pitchers' duel between Nicholls senior right hander Brian Arceneaux and Northwestern State starter Jacob Williford.  After giving up a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second that gave the Demons a 1-0 lead, Arceneaux settled in, holding the Demons scoreless through the seventh inning.  Arceneaux retired 16 of the final 23 batters he faced.

Meanwhile, after the Demons took their 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, the Colonels answered in the top of the third.  An RBI double by senior shortstop Chase Jaramillo and a run-scoring error off the bat of junior DH Jeremy Hill led to a pair of Nicholls runs, putting the Colonels up 2-1 after three.  Unfortunately, for Nicholls, Williford then settled in for the Demons, keeping the Colonels off the board for the rest of his 7.0 IP outing.

The Demons finally broke up the pitcher's duel in the bottom of the eighth.  After Arceneaux retired the leadoff batter, a one-out walk chased the Colonel starter after a career-high 7.1 IP outing.  Arceneaux allowed just six hits and two walks while striking out two, and handed a 2-1 lead to the Nicholls bullpen.  Unfortunately, junior left hander Brad Delatte was greeted by an RBI double off the bat of Colin Bear and a two-out Nicholls error led to an unearned run, giving Northwestern State a 3-2 lead after eight.

Facing a do-or-die ninth, junior left fielder Michael LeGrange led off the final frame with a walk.  Junior third baseman Mace Krol followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt.  The Demons threw the ball down the line, sending LeGrange all the way home with the tying run and putting Krol on third with the go-ahead run.  Junior second baseman Austin Flores followed with a single through the right side to bring home Krol and put Nicholls up 4-3.

However, the Colonels weren't done yet.  Senior center fielder Bear Comer hit a would-be inning-ending double play ball, but the Demons misplayed the feed to second putting two Colonels on with one out.  Sophomore outfielder Mike Barba, who came on to pinch run for Flores, stole third and came home to score on a wild pitch, and Comer came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jaramillo to put the Colonels up 6-3.

Sophomore left hander Dalton Torres came on in relief of Delatte in the ninth, and, after LeGrange misplayed a base hit to left field, putting the leadoff man on third after the error, Torres retired the next three Northwestern State batters in order to slam the door shut on the Demons' comeback hopes.

The Colonels will go for their first three-game Southland Conference series sweep on Sunday.  First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in Natchitoches.  A free live streaming audio webcast will be made available at www.geauxcolonels.com and www.ThibodauxOnline.com.