Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

RUSTON, La.  – The Nicholls softball team played a rare two-park doubleheader Tuesday and came away with a split, defeating Grambling 14-3 in six innings before falling at Louisiana Tech, 6-5.

Nicholls (16-19) will wrap up its road trip Wednesday at Alcorn State. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Sophomore Courtney Vanlandingham had a breakout day for the Colonels, going 5-for-7 with five RBIs. Against Grambling, she was 3-for-3 with two doubles and had her first home run of the season.

Vanlandingham was one of three Colonels to tally three RBIs against the Lady Tigers (6-26), joined by Ashley Bertot, Haley Parkerson and Leah Andrus, with each finishing with two hits. As a team, Nicholls pounded out 14 hits and drew eight walks.

Following a scoreless first inning, Nicholls scored seven runs in the next two-at bats to take a commanding 7-1 lead. In the second, the Colonels scored their first two runs on a triple by Bertot before Parkerson singled to make it 3-0. The next inning, Nicholls plated four runs with three RBI singles, a bases loaded walk and an error.

Leading 8-1 in the sixth, the Colonels blew the game open with six runs, led by Vanlandingham's three-run homer. Facing a 14-1 deficit, Grambling managed to get two runs in the bottom of the six but was unable to avoid the mercy rule as Nicholls won 14-3.

Katie Moulder (1-4) earned her first victory of the season, giving up one unearned run on two hits in four innings. Moulder struck out five and walked none. Andrus saw her first action in the circle, facing seven batters in two innings. She gave up one hit and two runs while striking out one.

In the night cap, Nicholls fought back to erase an early 5-0 deficit, but Louisiana Tech (18-15) broke a 5-all tie with a run in the bottom of the fifth which ultimately was the difference, giving the Lady Techsters the season sweep with the 6-5 win.

Down 5-0, Marcet put Nicholls on the board with a two-run single in the third. In the fifth, Parkerson led off the frame with a triple and came home on an Andrus sacrifice fly. With runners in scoring position, Vanlandingham delivered a game-tying double down the left field line, knotting the score at 5-5.

But Louisiana Tech quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth, going up 6-5 after a RBI single by Janna Frandrup. Nicholls would be retired in order in the final two innings as its three-game winning streak came to an end.

Nicholls had eight hits in the loss, led by Parkerson, Marcet and Vanlandingham with two each. In the circle, Hannah Haydel was chased after 1.2 innings, giving up five runs on five hits. Moulder had a strong outing in relief, going 4.1 innings with a run on four hits, but was tagged with the loss.