Final Stats

TROY, Ala.  – Down to its last out, the Nicholls State University softball team forced extra innings in two separate occasions in its opener at the Quality Inn Classic against Eastern Kentucky, but could never take the lead as EKU outlasted Nicholls, 10-7, in 10 innings at Troy Softball Complex on Friday afternoon.

Nicholls (1-5) will continue tournament play on Saturday with two early morning games. The Colonels face Ball State at 8:30 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. matchup with East Tennessee State.

Sophomore Katie Moulder tossed her second complete game of the season, giving up four earned runs on seven hits. Moulder fanned seven batters for the second straight outing, matching her career best.

Nicholls finished with seven hits on the day, led by junior Ashley Bertot with two. Ashley Ray and Rachel Moore each drove in a run for Red and Gray.

Eastern Kentucky (1-0), who is also the Colonels, got on the board with a solo shot in the first before adding two more on another homer in the third. In the bottom half the frame, Nicholls loaded the bases with no outs and pushed two across with the help of a couple of EKU miscues.

Over the next three and a half innings, the pitchers took over the game as the teams were held scoreless and combined for just four hits. In the fifth, Nicholls loaded the bases with two outs but could not bring home the tying run.

Trailing 3-2 in their final at-bat, Bertot led off the seventh with a walk before stealing second. After back-to-back fly outs, Moore delivered an RBI-single up the middle to send the game into extra innings.

In the eighth, EKU took at 4-3 lead; however, Nicholls answered with another two-out run. Moore, who was placed on second to start the inning due to international rules, scored during a steal attempt by Alaina Guidry.

Following a scoreless ninth, EKU broke the game open by scoring three runs on two hits and an error. In the bottom half, Nicholls was retired in order as Eastern Kentucky held on to win its season opener.