Final Stats THIBODAUX, La. – With only two hits in the game through nearly four innings, a Michael LeGrange two-run home run seemed to be the biggest hit of the night for the Nicholls baseball team in the opener against Northwestern State. But that distinction would be bestowed on senior infielder Austin Flores who hit a walk off single in the bottom of the ninth propelling Nicholls to a 4-3 win in Thibodaux.

Flores, who had no hits until his final at bat, finished with one of Nicholls' (24-24, 11-16 SLC) six hits on the night, as Northwestern State (17-29, 12-16) pitching struck out 16 Nicholls batters. LeGrange finished the night going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored including his third home run of his career, as Jeremy Hill extended his hitting streak to ten games and reached base streak to 23 games. Matt Richard and Cody Dufrene had the other two hits on the night.

Nicholls starting pitcher Seth Webster (5-5) cruised through seven nearly flawless innings, working through jams as the Demon batters had ten hits off of the senior, but finished the night with a no decision giving up three runs with two walks and three strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work. Jordan McCoy (1-4) earned the win getting out of the ninth inning giving up just two hits with a strikeout.

Philip Lyons hit a grounder to the third baseman but the throw was too high and the Colonel second baseman reached on an error in the first. Lyons stole second after a strikeout, eventually being brought in on a single by Hill to center field to give the Colonels a 1-0 lead. The next two batters would fly out and strike out to end the inning.

Hill walked on four-straight pitches, advancing to second on a wild pitch to begin the fourth. A swinging strikeout gave the Colonels their first out of the inning, but that would be forgotten on the eighth pitch of LeGrange's at bat, drilling a monster blast easily clearing the left field fence for the two-run bomb, giving the Colonels a 3-0 lead. Two more strikeouts for Northwestern State ended the Colonel inning.

The Demons finally broke through in the eighth inning, as a single with the bases loaded and one out made the score 3-1 Nicholls. Brad Delatte would come on after the hit striking out the first batter he saw, but a single down the right field line scored two more to tie the game at three.

With two outs in the home half of the eighth inning, Richard singled to right field and then stole second with Hill at the plate, but the Nicholls designated hitter struck out after getting to a 3-0 count to end the inning.

Jordan McCoy came on in the ninth and after striking out the first batter, gave up a single and after a fielder's choice ground out for the second out, a hard-hit ball that bounced off of Austin Flores at third base turned in the Colonels favor as it was called a ground-rule double putting runners at first and second. A hard line out ended the threat.

Bergeron began the ninth inning getting plunked on the third pitch of his at bat, and promptly stole second. That would prove vital as LeGrange singled to the second baseman to put runners at the corners. It was in the next at bat that Flores drilled a shot over the head of the right fielder to drive in Bergeron and give Nicholls the victory.

Game two of the series is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon, but with more rain forecasted for the day stay tuned to geauxcolonels.com for updates.