CONWAY, Ark. – The bats of the Nicholls State University baseball team caught fire on Saturday and continued to burn on Sunday as the team earned a 5-3 victory over Central Arkansas to take the three-game series, 2-1.
The Colonels (21-14-1, 10-8 SLC) entered the weekend with the worst batting average in the Southland Conference, but after an embarrassing 7-0 shutout on Friday, the squad regrouped and responded with 14 runs on 30 hits in the subsequent two ballgames.
The Bears (18-12, 9-6 SLC) came into the series with the second highest slugging percentage in the league, as well as the top home run hitter, Logan Preston. The offensive prowess of UCA was evident in game one as the Bears totaled seven runs on 13 hits. The Colonels allowed just 12 hits over the next two contests, holding Central Arkansas under its season average of nine hits per game on both Saturday and Sunday. In the series-finale, UCA totaled just five hits.
After two scoreless innings on Sunday,
Joey Morales opened things up, crushing a two-run blast over the leftfield wall for the first home run of his career. Moments later, a
Kyle Reese single to shortstop scored
Justin Holt, giving Nicholls a 3-0 advantage.
The Bears chipped in a run in the fifth, but the Colonels responded with a run in the sixth and another in the seventh to push their lead to 5-1.
Tanner Vandevere's single to third base sent Reese home in the sixth and an
Alex Tucker sacrifice fly scored a run in the seventh.
Central Arkansas wouldn't go down quietly, loading the bases in the final frame before scoring a pair of runs. Despite a rocky outing, the best closer in the nation,
Stuart Holmes, forced a ground out to seal the win and series-victory.
The Southland's top pitcher,
Justin Sinibaldi (7-1), was dominant again, allowing just one run on three hits with two strikeouts through five innings. In relief,
Marc Frazier,
Robbie Petty and Holmes combined to allow two runs on two hits in four innings on the hill.
Riley Echols (2-2) took the loss, surrendering five runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts through seven innings.
Holt paced Nicholls offensively with a 3-for-4 effort and a run scored.
Darius Knight was 3-for-5 and Reese was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
David Zorn hit 2-for-4 with a run scored and Morales finished 1-for-3.
Chris Townsend led the UCA offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the loss.
The Colonels will return home for a 6 p.m. matchup against South Alabama on Tuesday at Ray E. Didier Field. The game will be broadcast live on KNSU 91.5 FM.
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats, video and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball.
