THIBODAUX – The Nicholls State University softball team will take on Northwestern State in a Friday night (April 20) doubleheader at the Colonel Softball Complex. First pitch for the Southland Conference twin-bill is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

The two-game series was originally scheduled for Friday/Saturday, but has been moved to a doubleheader due to rain in the forecast for Saturday.

Nicholls is coming off its 10th win of the season after defeating Southern 6-2 on Wednesday. While the top of the order has carried the offense for most of the season, the lower half came through against Southern by accounting for seven of the nine Colonel hits. Brittany Ezell led the charge with two hits and three RBIs.

Ashley Bertot, the SLC's top hitter at .402, will look to extend her hitting streak to double digits after recording an infield single against the Lady Jaguars. Bertot has also reached base in each of the last 14 games.

As a team, Nicholls is batting .277, which ranks third in the conference. Ashley Ray ranks among the leaders in the conference with a .386 average, while Leah Andrus and Ashton Bennett are just shy of the .300 plateau, batting .291 and .290, respectively.

Katie Moulder recorded her fifth win of the season on Wednesday and heads the team with a 3.18 ERA. Moulder fanned six batters in the victory, upping her total to 64 on the year. Bennett also has five wins for Nicholls, posting a 3.48 ERA.

The Lady Demons (17-24, 5-9) head into the doubleheader winners of four of its last five, with all of their wins coming in shutouts. NSU split its Southland weekend series against UTA, winning Saturday's finale 2-0.

Northwestern State is led on offense by Tara McKenney (.353) and Cali Burke (.344). The top two run producers for the Lady Demons are Cassandra Barefield and Samantha Roberts with 21 RBIs each.

Kylie Roos and Kelee Paige are the primary starters in the circle for NSU. Both have six wins on the year, with Roos leading the staff with a 3.40 ERA and three shutouts. Grimes leads the team with 107 strikeouts.

Northwestern State currently trails the Colonels in the Southland standings, with Nicholls holding a 4-6 record, good for seventh place.

The doubleheader can be listened at ThibodauxOnline.com.