Final Stats

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Nicholls State University softball team put runners in scoring position in five different innings, but Stephen F. Austin kept the Colonels off the board and used two unearned runs to win the series opener, 2-0, on Friday night at the SFA Softball Field.

Nicholls (4-19, 0-3) will try to earn a split in the series when they wrap up against SFA (8-17, 1-2) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Colonels had nine hits on the night, led by Ashley Bertot, Rachel Moore and Megan Gaspard with two each. Ashley Ray also added a hit, extending her hitting streak to seven games.

Katie Moulder (3-8) suffered the loss for the Colonels, despite giving up only five hits in her eighth complete game of the season. Moulder finished with one strikeout and walked two.

In the bottom of the first, Moulder walked the leadoff batter before an error by Kat Angeles allowed the runner to score. The Colonels tried to answer in their next at-bat when Gaspard singled and stole second, but she was thrown out at home trying to score on a sacrifice fly.

SFA made it 2-0 in the third after Angeles' second mishap of the day. Bethany Brown singled and stole second before coming around to score on the error by the Colonel shortstop.

The Colonels threatened in the fourth when Leah Andrus led off the frame with a double to right, and moved to third on a one-out single by Ashton Bennett. Andrus was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice, but Moore loaded the bases after reaching first on an infield hit. However, SFA starter Carlie Thomas, who tossed a complete game, fanned Alaina Guidry for one of her six strikeouts on the evening.

In the Colonels' final at-bat, Moore and Bertot reached on singles, but with two outs, Ray hit a liner off Thomas that was caught by the third baseman to end the game.

First pitch at for the series finale is set for 1 p.m. A live internet broadcast, courtesy of ThibodauxOnline.com, will be available.