Final Stats

THIBODAUX – A trio of juniors paved the way for the Nicholls State University softball team on Wednesday against Alcorn State as Ashton Bennett came out of the bullpen to toss a hitless 5.2 innings, Ashley Bertot and Leah Andrus combined for five hits and three runs, leading the Colonels to a 6-1 victory at the Colonel Softball Complex.

Nicholls snaps a five-game skid with the victory and improve to 2-8 on the season. Alcorn State falls to 4-5.

Bennett notched her first win of the season after coming into the game in the second inning with the game knotted at 1-1. The Baton Rouge native was flawless out of the pen, giving up no hits or walks while striking out two. Bennett also helped her  own cause with an RBI in a four-run second inning.

Bertot, a transfer from University at Buffalo, went 3-for-4 with an RBI and swiped her sixth base of the year. Andrus, who played two seasons at LSU-Eunice, was 2-for-2, including her first triple of the season. Megan Gaspard, Ashley Ray and Alaina Guidry all had RBIs on the day.

After the Colonels scored on a sacrifice fly by Ray in the first, Alcorn State tied the game in its next at-bat on a wild pitch by Colonel starter Victoria Hugghins. Following a walk and hit-by-pitch that loaded the bases, Bennett took over in the circle with one out. Against her first batter, she forced a flyout to left field and Guirdy fired the ball to third to double-up Alcorn, leaving the game tied at 1-all.

In the bottom of the second, Nicholls plated four runs and never looked back. The Colonels pounded out four of their seven hits on the day, including an RBI-double by Bertot down the left field line.

Leading 5-1, Nicholls added an insurance run in the fifth after Andrus' triple, and then Bennett closed the door in the next two frames as Nicholls improved to 1-1 at home.

Melissa Rubio was tagged with the loss, giving up five earned on seven hits.

Nicholls will hit the road for its next nine games, starting this weekend at the Southern Miss Invitational.  The Colonels are slated for two games on Saturday, playing Louisiana Tech at 4:30 p.m. and Southern Miss at 7 p.m.