Final Stats SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Nicholls State University baseball team put together arguably its most solid game to date as the Colonels scored nine runs on 18 hits along with getting a complete game five-hitter from starter Taylor Byrd as Nicholls defeated San Jose State 9-1 in the series finale on Sunday at Municipal Stadium.

With the win the Colonels improve to 12-10 on the season and have now won three-straight after the doubleheader sweep on Saturday for the team's fourth series win this year. The three-game streak is the third for Nicholls this season, giving the club some momentum heading into the opening weekend of Southland Conference play next Friday.

Nicholls got two big innings offensively getting three runs in the second and four runs in the sixth to take a 7-0 lead, which only aided Byrd (4-1) on the mound as he was nearly flawless going all nine innings allowing just one run on five hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. The only run San Jose State (5-15) garnered came with two outs on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the seventh, as the junior lefty retired the Spartans in order in four consecutive innings.

After scoring three runs in the first game on Friday, the Spartans were held to just three runs combined in the final three contests, getting just five hits on Sunday after having 18 in two the day before. SJSU over the course of the weekend stranded 36 base runners as well, leaving seven on the bases Sunday afternoon.

Of Nicholls' 18 hits on the day, eight came in the form of doubles with Cody Dufrene's career-high three, Mike Barba and David Zorn's two each and Philip Lyons' one. Dufrene also tied his career-high with four RBI on the afternoon, while Leo Vargas had a career day going 4-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored. Six different Colonels had multiple hits at the plate, as behind them was Zorn's three hits and Lyons, Barba and Tyler Duplantis registering two each.

Spartans starter D.J. Slaton (0-4) took the brunt of the hits lasting six innings and allowing seven Nicholls runs on 12 hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Kalei Contrades fared slightly better, giving up two runs in the eighth and ninth in the final three innings on six hits with four strikeouts. Slaton allowed five doubles in his six innings, while Slaton gave up the other three.

The Colonels had six innings where they garnered multiple hits, including getting five in the four-run sixth.

Going down in order in the first, the Colonels went down that way just one more time for the rest of the game, as the team came back in the second to get a single and back-to-back doubles to score all three of their runs with two outs already up on the board. It only got worse in the fifth as Dufrene doubled again to drive in Barba who doubled to open the frame, followed by a two-RBI single by Vargas and double by Lyons scoring Vargas to take a 7-0 lead.

Vargas stuck again in the seventh to score Zorn in the eighth for one of the team's three hits in the inning, while the final insurance run came in the very next inning off of Dufrene's final double of the contest to score Barba to go up 9-0.

Game one for the series against Stephen F. Austin is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Ray E. Didier Field in Thibodaux.