Box vs Indiana St.
Box vs SEMO

SOUTHAVEN, Miss.  – The Nicholls State University softball team opened up tournament play in the Blues City Classic on Saturday with a 3-0 win against Indiana State before rallying for four runs in its final at-bat to earn an 8-7 walkoff win versus Southeast Missouri State at Greenbrook Park.

With the wins, Nicholls improves to 6-6 on the year. The Colonels will wrap up play on Sunday with a morning matchups against Missouri-Kansas (9 a.m.) and Belmont (11 a.m.). Both games can be listened to at ThibodauxOnline.com.

In the nightcap versus Southeast Missouri State (3-5), the Colonels trailed 7-4 and were down to their last out. Ashton Bennett kept the inning alive with a base hit before Brittany Marcet notched her third hit of the game with a RBI single to right. Down 7-5, Leah Andrus cleared the bases with a two-run triple to tie the game and then came around to score after a throw by the catcher went into left field, giving Nicholls the walkoff victory.

Nicholls had 11 hits in the victory, with seniors Bennett and Andrus finishing with two each. Andrus paced the Colonels with four RBIs, while Marcet had two.

Hannah Haydel (2-2) picked up the win, pitching 5.2 innings of relief. The freshman gave up two earned runs on two hits and struck out four. Katie Moulder had the start, giving up two earned in 1.1 innings.

The Redhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first after plating two unearned runs, but Nicholls answered with three runs in its at-bat. Marcet drove in the first run and Andrus capped off the frame with a two-run single.

Over the next four innings, Southeast Missouri pulled away, scoring two in the second and third frames before tacking on a run in the fourth for a 7-3 lead. The Colonels only managed two infield singles during the stretch before Maggie Bryan came up with a RBI single in the sixth.

In the seventh, Nicholls pounded out four hits, including three with two outs, to rally for win.

In the opener against Indiana State, Nicholls used another outstanding pitching performance from its No. 1 starter, Bennett, who recorded her first shutout of the season, and Morgan Wilson's two-run double in the second provided more than enough offense.

Nicholls added a run in the top of sixth before Bennett cruised the rest of the way, retiring six of seven batters for the complete game.

Bennett gave up five hits, with only one going for extra bases. She fanned three on the day and walked only one.

Nicholls finished with eight hits, with Bennett helping her cause with two hits and a run scored. She led off the top of the second with a base hit, which was the first of four straight hits for the Colonels. Paige Miller followed with a single and Wilson cleared the bases with her double, making the score 2-0 Nicholls.

The Colonels got a little help in the sixth after Danielle Phillips came around to score on an error. Phillips reached base with a two-single, stole second, and then scored after ISU's third baseman couldn't handle a ball of the bat of Ashley Bertot.

Bennett faced little trouble the rest of the way, earning her first shutout since last year's season finale against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.