Final Stats Nicholls-ULM Box Score

MONROE, La. – Holding a four-run lead with only three innings remaining, the Nicholls State University baseball team held off another rally by the ULM Warhawks to clinch the series victory with a 6-4 win Sunday afternoon in Monroe.

Nicholls (6-6) got key hitting when it needed and closed the door with Mike Suk (2-0) who earned his second victory of the week and Jordan McCoy picking up his third save of the year. Suk took over for starter Mike Wisecarver who had a nearly flawless outing until the seventh inning, giving up four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work.

Over the final 2.2 innings, Suk, Brad Delatte and McCoy held ULM (7-5) to just three hits, as the Warhawks stranded double-digit base runners for the second game in a row.

Although the Warhawks outhit the Colonels 12-9 in the game, Nicholls capitalized on scoring opportunities as Blake Bergeron and Michael LeGrange finished with two RBI's each. LeGrange and Hill each had two hits on the day, while Phil Lyons extended his hitting streak to seven games going 1-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored.

The game began for the Colonels with Lyons getting hit by a pitch. After an unassisted groundout pushing the sophomore to second, Lyons was able to advance to third on a passed ball. After Bergeron walked to put runners at the corners, LeGrange singled to center field to bring in Lyons and advance Bergeron to third base. A throwing error by ULM scored Bergeron and let LeGrange advance to third after stealing second to begin the play, followed by Leo Vargas' first RBI of the season on a single to bring in LeGrange giving the Colonels a 3-0 lead early.

In the sixth, Hill led off the inning with a single, but was out on the next play on a fielder's choice by Bergeron. Bergeron took second after a passed ball, and the senior was driven in by LeGrange in the very next at bat on a single to left field, putting the Colonels up 4-0.

After pitching six innings of four-hit ball, Wisecarver got touched up in the seventh as ULM tied the game using five hits and an error by the Colonels to score all four runs in the inning, with Suk coming on in relief after 6 1/3 innings of work for Wisecarver.

Unfazed by the previous inning, Nicholls retaliated in the very next team at bat, beginning with singles by Lyons and Hill with only one out in the inning. Bergeron took the first pitch he saw and doubled to right center, driving in Lyons and Hill to regain the lead 6-4.

Delatte came on for Suk with two outs in the eighth, striking out the last batter to end the inning, then got the first two outs of the ninth before handing off to McCoy who got the last batter of the game to pop up to Lyons at second.

The Colonels will hit the road to face the South Alabama Jaguars on Wednesday night, with first pitch set for 6:30 in Mobile.