Box Score and Play-by-Play

HAMMOND, La. - The Nicholls State University baseball team (23-24, 12-15 Southland Conference) came into Sunday's series finale looking to finish a three-game sweep, but Nicholls fell victim to a big inning by the Southeastern Louisiana University Lions (32-18, 15-12 Southland Conference) as the Lions scored 11 runs in the fourth inning en route to a 15-4 victory on Sunday at Alumni Field in Hammond, denying the Colonels a sweep of their nearest conference rival.

The Colonels, who took the first two games of the series by scores of 7-3 and 11-1, scored first on Sunday as senior shortstop Chase Jaramillo stretched his hitting streak to 12 games, a career high and the longest of the season by a Colonel, with a first inning single before coming home to score on an RBI base hit by junior left fielder Jeremy Hill.

However, Southeastern evened things up with a run in the bottom of the first before taking a 2-1 lead on a solo homer by Cody Gougler in the bottom of the second.

The Lions then blew the game wide open in the fourth.  After junior left hander Mike Wisecarver retired the leadoff batter, the next nine Lions reached base safely.  Southeastern strung together nine hits against four different Nicholls pitchers in the inning, including three doubles and three home runs (including Gougler's second of the afternoon), to plate 11 runs and take a 13-1 lead.

Southeastern added two more in the bottom of the fifth to go up 15-1 before the Colonels began mounting a rally in the top of the sixth.  Senior catcher Jason Dennis led off the inning being hit by a pitch, freshman second baseman Philip Lyons legged out an infield single and senior center fielder Bear Comer followed with a single up the middle to load the bases.

Jaramillo followed with a single down the right field line for his second hit of the afternoon and score Dennis.  Hill added a two-run single up the middle to score Lyons and Comer and make it 15-4.

Steffan Lopez, who gave up the Colonels' three runs in the fifth inning, his first inning of relief, kept Nicholls off the board in the top of the seventh, invoking the Southland Conference's ten-run rule to give the Lions the 7.0 inning win.

The Colonels will return to action on Friday May 13 when Nicholls heads to Southland Conference leader Texas State for a three-game series in San Marcos, Texas.  First pitch between the Colonels and the first place Bobcats, who finished the weekend ranked No. 25 in the nation, is set for 6 p.m.  Live stats and a free live streaming audio webcast will be made available at www.geauxcolonels.com and at www.ThibodauxOnline.com.