Final Stats THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team defeated South Alabama 15-4 on Wednesday night behind one of the strongest offensive performances of the season.
 
It was a rocky start for Nicholls as the Jaguars led off with a pair of singles from Adam Bellew and Cameron Cummings. Cole Gleason was subsequently walked to load the bases before Hayden Jones added a single through the left side to score Bellew. Cummings came home on a sac fly to center from Matt Wojciechowski and Justin Cullifer notched the fourth single of the inning for South Alabama, sending Gleason in for the 3-0 lead.
 
As they've done all season, the Colonels matched their opponent step for step, scoring three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. Philip Lyons led off with a walk before Keith Cormier blasted a home run over the right field wall. Cormier's hit ignited the team, setting off an offensive explosion that would continue throughout the game. Justin Smith walked before advancing to third on a Charles Morton double to left field and Tyler Duplantis added a sacrifice fly to right, bringing Smith in to tie the game.
 
Cormier followed up his home run with a double in the third inning, before advancing on a Morton single and scoring on a fielders choice to give the Nicholls a 4-3 lead that they would never surrender.
 
The Colonels added six security runs in the fourth, two more in the seventh and three in the eighth, never taking their foot off of the accelerator.
 
Cormier filled the stat sheet, going 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs on the night. Duplantis contributed two hits on four at bats while scoring twice and driving in three. David Zorn, Vargas and Morton each added two runs.
 
Nicholls entered the game with a conference-low .235 batting average, but hit .400 against the Jaguars. Cormier was a triple away from hitting for the cycle and became the first Colonel to reach the 300-club, holding a .301 season batting average.
 
Cummings led South Alabama at the plate, hitting 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI.
 
Ryan Deemes started on the mound first for the Colonels, giving up three runs on five hits with four strikeouts through four innings. Zach Thiac (2-2) took the loss in the previous matchup with the Jaguars this season, but earned retribution and the win, throwing two scoreless innings on the night.
 
Matt Bell (2-5) suffered the loss, giving up seven runs (two earned) in 2 1/3 innings, while fanning two.
 
Nicholls returns to conference play on Friday as they take on Central Arkansas at 6 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field.