Final Stats BATON ROUGE, La. – After scoring six runs late on Tuesday the Nicholls State University baseball team got the bats going again in the later innings on Wednesday, but the Southern Jaguars got six runs on six hits with three Colonel errors in the eighth inning to pull past Nicholls and earn a season split with an 8-6 win at Pete Goldsby Field in Baton Rouge.

With a 6-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning, Nicholls (7-7) brought in Kelby Langston (0-2) to set up closer Jordan McCoy to close out the game with just two innings left. Unfortunately, the Colonels had a complete breakdown in the inning leading to the Jaguar (6-5) offensive onslaught, beginning with an error, followed by a hit batter and three consecutive singles to chase Langston from the game and bring in McCoy. With only one out garnered, McCoy got the final two outs but not before Southern got three more hits and scored three more times to pull ahead for good.

Before Southern's big inning, Nicholls starting pitcher Grant Borne went four solid innings giving up just one run on three hits, striking out six. After sitting out the first few weeks of the season after hand surgery, Brandon Jackson made his first appearance and struck out three in two innings allowing just two hits, while Marc Picciola allowed just one run on one hit coming in the seventh.

Just as he did in the first game against Southern, Matt Richard led off the game with a hit and would produce two more as the senior outfielder went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored to lead the team, followed by Mike Barba and Keith Cormier who each finished with two on the night. Nicholls struck out just five times on the night and got walked seven times, but the Colonels stranded nine runners on the evening to Southern's five.

Facing the same starter the second time around, the Colonels began the game getting to Jaguar starter Camilo Godoy as Richard's single began a tough string as Godoy walked three of the next four batters to put Nicholls on the board with a 1-0 lead. Nicholls scored again in the third as Barba doubled down the left field line and scored on the very next play after a single by Philip Lyons put Nicholls back on top 2-1 after Southern got a run in the bottom of the first.

After a scoreless middle three innings by both teams, Nicholls put a nice two-out rally together in the seventh with a Richard single and Barba triple beginning the rally. After a walk to Lyons, one of his three on the night, the junior second baseman stole second allowing Barba to score for the second Colonel run of the inning. Another single by Cormier scored Lyons to put Nicholls up 5-2. After Southern made the game 5-3, the Colonels took the run back in the eighth as Zachary LeBeouf scored after a David Zorn sacrifice bunt and back-to-back singles by Leo Vargas and Richard with two outs gave Nicholls a three run lead up 6-3.

Of Southern's four pitchers of the night, closer Josh Powell was the only Jaguar to not give up a run in the game, as Zephan Rochelle earned the win simply by giving up just one run in his inning of work on two hits with a walk and strikeout in the top of the eighth. Godoy and his reliever John Thigpen combined to give up five runs on six hits with six walks in six innings

The Colonels will be back in action on Friday, beginning a three-game series against the Sacred Heart Pioneers at 6:30 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field