MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Nicholls State University softball team avenged its loss from yesterday with a 12-2 run-rule victory over Alabama State, but once again, the Colonels came up short in earning a sweep as Maryland-Baltimore Country rallied late to win the nightcap, 6-5.
The Colonels (8-3) will wrap up the Black and Gold Tournament on Sunday against Middle Tennessee State. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Game 1 – Nicholls 12, Alabama State 2 (6 innings) The Colonels scored four runs in the first and sixth innings and
Hannah Haydel tossed four solid innings as Nicholls won in six innings over Alabama State, 12-2.
Nicholls had 12 hits in the win and took advantage of seven errors by the Lady Hornets (3-7).
Haley Parkerson led the offense, going 3-for-4 at the plate, while
Kayla Prater added two hits and
Alexis Huss drove in two.
Danielle Phillips,
Brooke Morris and
Amanda Gianelloni also chipped in with a hit and an RBI.
The Colonels jumped all over ASU early, taking a 7-2 lead after three innings. After
Haley Stevenson added an RBI single in the fourth, the Colonels used a four-run sixth to put the run rule into play. Huss capped the big inning with a 2-run double to right.
Haydel (5-1) allowed six hits, one earned run, walked three and struck out two.
Megan Landry pitched two innings of relief, allowing a hit and fanned two.
Game 2 – UMBC 6, Nicholls 5 Holding a one-run lead with four outs to go, the Colonels allowed a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth and were retired in order in their final at-bat as they fell 6-5 to UMBC.
UMBC had tied the game up at 4-4 after scoring two in the fifth, but
Amanda Gianelloni drove in a run on a single in the sixth to put Nicholls back on top. In the bottom of the frame, a Gianelloni error kept the inning alive for UMBC (1-7), and they responded with a single to put two runners on. The Retrievers then took the lead after Bridget O'Malley brought home two on a double to right center.
Megan Landry (3-2) suffered her second straight loss, surrendering 11 hits and five earned runs in six innings. She struck out five, walked one and had two wild pitches.
Gianelloni led the offense with three hits and three RBIs, while
Jessica Taylor added two hits and put Nicholls on the board in the first with a bases loaded walk.
Kayla Prater finished with two hits as well, giving her four on the day.
Leading 2-1 in the fourth, Gianelloni hit her first career homer, a two-run shot, making the score 4-1. But UMBC hit a solo home run in the bottom to cut the lead in half, and in the fifth, the Terriers tallied three hits to plate two runs, knotting the game at 4-all.
Nicholls took advantage of UMBC miscues in the fifth to regain the lead as an error and a wild pitch set up Gianelloni's RBI single. But the Colonels were unable to hang on as UMBC notched its first win of the season.
