TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Nicholls State University baseball team was unable to slow down Alabama on a chilly night in Tuscaloosa, falling 13-1 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
Prior to Wednesday's game, the Crimson Tide (3-1) made it widely known that they were not sleeping on the Dirty Red. Head Coach Mitch Gaspard and his Alabama staff repeatedly complemented the prestigious resume of the Colonels (4-1), and implored the Crimson Tide to keep Nicholls from picking up early momentum.
Alabama followed the advice of its skipper, jumping on the Colonels right from the start. The Tide used three first-inning hits to score a pair of quick runs, and added two more in the second. After a scoreless third, Alabama chipped in a pair of runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth, to take a commanding 8-0 lead.
The Colonels got on the board in the sixth, after a
Justin Holt single sent
Kyle Reese home.
After a scoreless seventh, the Crimson Tide exploded for five runs in the eighth and closed out the game.
Reese led Nicholls with a 2-for-4 night and a run scored. Holt had the Colonels' lone RBI and finished 1-for-3.
Gavin Wehby hit 1-for-2 and
Juan Givan turned in a 1-for-3 outing.
Chandler Taylor led Alabama with a 5-for-5 night, three runs scored and two RBIs.
Mike Hanchar (0-1) took the loss, surrendering four runs on five hits with two strikeouts through 1 2/3 innings of work. In relief,
Daniel Goff allowed two runs on three hits with a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings on the hill.
Zach Hansen tossed 2/3 innings, while allowing just one hit, while
Robbie Petty gave up two runs on two hits in 2/3 innings.
Zach Thiac threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and
Jake Smith had a scoreless, hitless inning on the mound.
Hunter Speer surrendered five runs on four hits in the eighth, before
Adam Tarver closed out the frame.
Ray Castillo got the start for the Crimson Tide and tossed three scoreless innings, while allowing just two hits. In relief, Mike Oczypok (1-0) earned the win, allowing one run on one hit through three innings on the hill. Brock Love and Tyler Adams combined for two scoreless, hitless frames.
Nicholls will next head to Starkville, Miss. to play four games against UMass-Lowell and Mississippi State. The Colonels will battle the River Hawks at 1 p.m. on Friday before a matchup with the Bulldogs at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Nicholls will face UMass-Lowell at noon on Sunday, followed immediately by a game against Mississippi State at 3:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball, visit geauxcolonels.com.
