Game One Box
Game Two Box

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Nicholls State University softball team dropped its opening game against Stephen F. Austin, 1-0, in eight innings but went on to pick up a 5-0 victory in game two, splitting its Southland Conference doubleheader on Saturday at SFA Field.

Carlee Winkelmann tossed a three-hit, four-strikeout shutout for the Colonels (14-37, 6-22 SLC) in the victory with Mandy Granger and Ashley Ray providing the offense. Granger went 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Ray had three RBIs which included a two-run shot in the seventh to push the Colonel lead to 5-0.

Ray put Nicholls on the board in the third on a sac fly before Granger made it 2-0 with an RBI single. In the fifth, the Colonels took advantage of a two-base error as Granger delivered another run-scoring single to plate Megan Gaspard.

With Winkelmann cruising in the circle by holding Stephen F. Austin (14-35, 9-20 SLC) scoreless while allowing only two hits, Ray came through in the top of the seventh with her Southland Conference leading 17th home run of the season, which also placed her seventh on the Nicholls all-time homer list, tying Leah Peterson and Audrey Wood at 17.

Winkelmann, a native of Brenham, Texas, gave up a leadoff single in SFA's final at-bat before retiring the next three hitters in order to earn her second career shutout.

The Colonels finished with six hits with Gaspard, Whitney Roan and Lauren Jolivette chipping in with one each.

For SFA, Monika Covington suffered the loss, giving up four earned with four strikeouts in seven innings of work. At the plate, Elizabeth Arana, Cadie Weaver and Bethany Brown had one hit apiece.

In game one, Ashton Bennett tossed her second consecutive eight-strikeout game but a leadoff homer in the eighth by Amber Price gave Stephen F. Austin a walkoff 1-0 victory.

Bennett tossed seven innings for her 12th complete game, scattering six hits with four walks. Her counterpart, Carlie Thomas, threw all eight innings, giving up five hits while striking out 10.

Whitney Roan led the Colonels, going 2-for-3 with a walk. Ray had a single while Tori Lay and Katie Holmes added one hit each. Nicholls left nine runners stranded on base in the loss.

Lauren Luetge paced the Ladyjacks with two hits while Price provided the only run of the day, taking a 1-0 pitch over the left center wall to end the contest in eight innings.

The Colonels will wrap up the season on Sunday with game-three against SFA. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. Live audio will be available courtesy of ThibodauxOnline.com.