Final Stats THIBODAUX, La. – One strike away from claiming their first series over Stephen F. Austin since 2006, a pop fly spelled doom for the Colonels as it tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, leading to extras where the Lumberjacks got one run in the 13th inning and kept Nicholls off the board to escape with a 9-8 win and the opening series of the Southland season.

After SFA (11-12, 2-1 SLC) went up 7-6 in the eighth, Cody Dufrene saved his biggest hit for his second of the game, lacing a double down the left field line scoring Seth Stevens who was walked with one out. The next play changed the course of the game in Nicholls' (13-12, 1-2) favor as Matt Richard singled to the left fielder who bobbled the ball and allowed Dufrene to come in to score on a play-at-the-plate sliding in safely to give the Colonels the lead back up 8-7.

Stevens scored three times on the afternoon and led the Colonels at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, including two doubles and a two-run home run to right field in the fourth. Dufrene drove in two runs and scored once, while Tyler Duplantis went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and Matt Richard's 2-for-5 afternoon. Stevens' final double opened the ninth giving Nicholls a fighting chance with no outs, but the first baseman was picked off negating the only real threat the team had of tying the game in the end.

In the ninth, Jordan McCoy came on with a one-run lead and not a whole lot of room for error and after giving up a double down the left field line and a wild pitch, struck out the next two batters and came within one more pitch of closing out the game before a high pop fly wasn't caught allowing the runner from third to score tying the game at 8-8.

With a three-run lead behind him, starter Taylor Byrd (4-1) was cruising until he gave up two runs in the fourth and opened the seventh when SFA's Hunter Dozier hit his fourth home run of the season to make it 6-3, as back-to-back singles ended Byrd's day, bringing on Jacob Rodrigue who immediately gave up a hit to load the bases with no outs. After getting a strikeout for the first out, he walked the next batter and got the next one to hit into a fielder's choice at second base scoring another to make it a one-score game at 6-5 with the last batter striking out looking to end the inning.

Byrd finished the day allowing five runs on ten hits with seven strikeouts, as Marc Picciola, who pitched three innings after relieving McCoy, was the only Nicholls pitcher to keep SFA off of the board, giving up just one hit during. Chris Miller (1-1) took the loss and was the final pitcher of the day for Nicholls, as he gave up the winning run in the 13th after a walk, single, fielder's choice and single through the left side of the infield plated the final run of the game giving the Lumberjacks the lead for good.

The Colonels, who had 12 hits during the game, began its first scoring inning began on a scary note, as Brandon Jackson got hit on the top of the helmet to open the inning, as fortunately he was able to remain in the game and took first. It proved to be big as Keith Cormier drilled a double to right center scoring the shortstop putting Nicholls up 1-0. Duplantis nearly legged out a sacrifice bunt, advancing Cormier to third for the first out.

A walk to Stevens put runners at the corners, and a stolen base put two in scoring position, as Dufrene singled through the left side scoring Cormier for a 2-0 Colonel lead. David Zorn hit what looked to be a single after a misplaying by Lumberjack shortstop Hunter Dozier, but regrouped to throw out Dufrene at second, still scoring Stevens to put the Colonels up 3-0 for the final run of the inning.

A leadoff double began a two-run, three-hit fourth inning for the Lumberjacks to pull within one of the Colonels, as SFA hit two doubles in the inning to put some pressure on Nicholls with five left to play.

With one out in the bottom half of the same inning, Duplantis had a sharply hit grounder deep into the infield to reach first safely for the infield single, and with one swing of the bat Stevens got the two runs back with a shot over the right field fence to put Nicholls up 5-2.

The Lumberjacks remained relentless at the plate, and in the fifth loaded the bases after two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a walk, but a forced out at home and grounder to third base got the Colonels out of the inning without a run crossing the plate. In the sixth, the first two batters of the inning reached safely after walk and a hit, but consecutive strikeouts by Byrd put two outs on the board for a little breathing room, until a walk loaded the bases again making for a tense situation before a swinging strikeout ended the threat.

Stevens got his second hit of the game and his third RBI on a double off of the fence in left center, driving in Duplantis who singled through the left side after a strikeout to open the bottom of the sixth.

Nicholls ran into more trouble in the eighth, as a walk to open the frame ended the day for Rodrigue with Jackson moving from shortstop to pitcher and Ray Eureste coming out of the dugout to shortstop. Jackson gave up a hard-hit single through the right side, before a strikeout and walk loaded the bases. A double to right field drove in two Lumberjacks to give SFA its first lead of the day going up 7-6, with the last two batters flying out and grounding out to end the inning.

Cameron Gann was on the hook for the loss after he exited the game after giving up six runs on seven hits, but he still struck out eight and the Lumberjacks would only use three more pitchers as Brett Higginbotham (1-2) eventually earned the win pitching the final 5.2 innings of the game giving up just two hits while striking out six.

The Colonels will be back in action on Tuesday night, hosting the UNO Privateers at 6:30 p.m. in Thibodaux.