Box Score and Play-by-Play

HAMMOND, La. -  The Colonels started slow on Friday night, but the Nicholls State University baseball team (22-23, 11-14, Southland Conference) erased a 2-0 deficit by scoring seven runs, including a four-run top of the ninth to break the game open, en route to a 7-3 win in the opener of a three-game Southland Conference series against Southeastern Louisiana (31-17, 14-11 Southland Conference) at Alumni Field in Hammond on Friday night.

It was a tale of two games for the Colonels who were struck out 12 times by Lion pitching, one shy of the team-high of 13.  Fortunately, for Nicholls, the Colonels responded by racking up a season-high 16 hits to chip away at the Lions.

Meanwhile, after allowing a pair of third inning runs, junior right hander Seth Webster settled in.  Webster, whose streak of innings without an earned run came to an end at 20.1 IP, held Southeastern scoreless the rest of the night en route to his third consecutive complete game victory.  Webster did not walk a batter for the third consecutive outing, and has not walked a batter in his last 27.1 IP.  The Nicholls ace has worked at least 9.0 IP in six of his last seven games, recording five complete games over that stretch.

Southeastern starter Brandon Efferson looked like he would be just as effective early on, striking out 12 Colonel batters, one shy of his career high.  However, the Colonels got on the board as junior left fielder Jeremy Hill launched a solo homer to right center field, his first as a Colonel, to lead off the top of the fourth and make it 2-1 in favor of Southeastern.

Nicholls tied things up in the top of the fifth as a one-out double by freshman second baseman Philip Lyons put runners at second and third and senior center fielder Bear Comer followed with an RBI groundout to tie the game at 2-2.

After trading zeroes with the Lions in the sixth and seventh innings, Nicholls struck again in the top of the eighth.  Junior first baseman Blake Bergeron singled, stole second and took third on a wild pitch.  Junior third baseman Austin Flores, who went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI for his first career three-hit game, followed with a run-scoring single to stake Nicholls to a 3-2 lead.

The Colonels looked to give Webster some added cushion heading to the final inning as Nicholls strung together five hits and took advantage of two Lion errors to add four runs.  An RBI single by senior shortstop Chase Jaramillo, which extended his hitting streak to ten games, tying a career and season high, and Flores' second RBI single of the night were the biggest hits as Nicholls took a 7-2 lead.

In addition to Flores' team-high three hits, Nicholls got multi-hit efforts from Hill (2-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R), Bergeron (2-for-4, R), Moseley (2-for-5) and Lyons (2-for-4, 2 2B).  Every Nicholls starter recorded at least one hit.

The Lions tried to mount one last rally in the bottom of the night as three hits, including a pinch-hit RBI double by Joe Sparacino, made it 7-3.  However, Webster coaxed a game-ending pop out to center field off the bat of Southeastern first baseman Jonathan Pace to preserve the win and record his third straight complete game win. 

The Colonels will look to clinch a series victory when the two teams head to Nicholls for game two on Saturday.  First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field in Thibodaux.  Saturday will be Visor Day, sponsored by Crescent Crown Distributing.  Adult fans in attendance will receive a free visor from Crescent Crown Distributing while supplies last.

The two in-state rivals will finish off the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch set for the series finale at Alumni Field in Hammond.