Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

HAMMOND, La.  – For the fifth time in as many Southland Conference series, the Nicholls softball team split the opening doubleheader, defeating Southeastern Louisiana 3-2 in game one before coming up short in the night cap, 7-6, Saturday at North Oak Park.

Nicholls (17-20, 7-7) and Southeastern (23-13, 8-6) will conclude the series Sunday at 12 p.m. The game can be listened to on ThibodauxOnline.com.

Game 1 – Nicholls 3, Southeastern La. 2

A pair of freshman came up big for the Colonels as Danielle Phillips broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with a RBI triple and right fielder Colleen Levy gunned down the tying run at home to end the game as Nicholls defeated rival Southeastern 3-2.

Another freshman, Haley Parkerson, led Nicholls at the plate with a 3-for-4 game. The Colonels had eight hits, with Ashley Bertot adding two.

Nicholls jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, with Bertot and Parkerson getting singles to start the game. Bertot came in to score on a RBI single by Brittany Marcet, and on the same play, Nicholls added one more on an error by the Lady Lion center fielder.

In the bottom half, SLU cut the lead in half with a RBI single, but Colonel starter Ashton Bennett (10-9) would pick up a looking strikeout to leave the bases loaded.

A leadoff home run for SLU tied the game in the fifth before Phillips drove in Bennett with a two-out triple in the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Lions led off the frame with a single, but the Colonels turned a double play on the next batter. Following a double, SLU got a base hit to right; however, Levy was able to throw the runner out at the plate.

Bennett gave up eight hits in the complete game, allowing a pair of earned runs. She finished with three strikeouts and four walks.

Game 2 – Southeastern La. 7, Nicholls 6

In a back and forth game two, Nicholls had the tying run in scoring position in the top of the seventh with one out but Southeastern ended the threat with two strikeouts to earn the split with a 7-6 victory.

The Colonels outhit SLU 11-10 and each team had three errors, but the two unearned runs in the SLU fourth proved to be the difference.

After a scoreless first, Southeastern used a triple and a home run off Katie Moulder to lead 2-0 in the second. Moulder went 2.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits and had two strikeouts.

Nicholls then took advantage of two errors by the Lady Lions in the third, tying the game with a pair of RBI singles by Parkerson and Marcet. But in SLU's next at-bat, the Lady Lions got both runs back to lead 4-2.

In the fourth, Nicholls scored three runs on four hits to grab its first lead of the game at 5-4. Courtney Vanlandingham led off the inning with a triple, and then scored on a double by Alaina Guidry. After a RBI single by Bertot, Andrus added a run on a sacrifice fly. But the lead was short lived as SLU went up 6-5 on a pair of Colonel errors in the bottom half.

Down 7-5 in their final at-bat, Parkerson led off the seventh for the Colonels with a single, and scored on a one-double to center by Marcet. Following a strikeout by Paige Miller, Levy drew a walk to put runners on first and second, but Vanlandingham went down swinging to end the game.

Hannah Haydel (6-7) took the loss, pitching 3.2 innings out of the bullpen. She surrendered an earned run on five hits and had one strikeout.

Parkerson put together her second straight three-hit game, with Marcet and Bertot finishing with two each.