CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Nicholls State University baseball team split a Sunday doubleheader with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, downing the Islanders, 4-1, in a 12-inning defensive battle, before falling, 8-0, in game two.
The Colonels earned the split despite missing their offensive leader,
Kyle Reese, who is recovering from a gruesome injury suffered during Friday's series opener.
GAME 1 After three scoreless innings, the Islanders (9-9, 2-1 SLC) broke the stalemate with a sac fly in the fourth to take a 1-0 lead.
The Colonels (10-11, 2-4 SLC) responded in the sixth, scoring a run on a
Quade Smith single that sent
Kyle Knauth home.
In the seventh, TAMUCC threatened with one out and runners on second and third, but a pair of base running errors allowed Nicholls to turn an unconventional 5-2-6-4-5-6 double play and escape the inning. On the play, the Colonels caught two Islander base runners in a run down and successfully tagged both out.
Nicholls returned the favor in the ninth when a Colonel runner strayed from third, was caught in a pickle and tagged for final out of the inning. The intense nature of the 1-1 game overflowed as TAMUCC players began taunting Nicholls and the Islanders had to be forced into their dugout by two umpires to prevent things from getting out of hand.
The Colonels did their talking on the field, turning a double play and recording a ground out in the bottom of the frame to send the contest into extra innings.
After a scoreless 10
th and 11
th, Nicholls blew things open with three runs in the 12
th. A Knauth single to left center scored
Joey Morales, before a
Gavin Wehby monster triple that reached the centerfield wall brought Knauth home.
Justin Holt subsequently notched a sac fly that sent Wehby in.
The Colonels continued their defensive dominance in the bottom of the frame, recording a ground out and a fly out before
Robbie Petty struck out the final batter to seal the victory.
Wehby finished 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI to lead Nicholls offensively. Holt went 2-for-5 with an RBI, while Knauth turned in a 1-for-6 day with two runs scored and an RBI.
Nick Anderson had the lone RBI for TAMUCC, batting 1-for-3.
Cole Stapler received a no decision, allowing just one run on six hits through eight solid innings on the mound.
Daniel Goff was dominant in relief, holding the Islanders hitless through two innings. Petty (1-0) picked up the win, allowing only one hit with two strikeouts through the final two innings.
Aaron Hernandez (1-1) took the loss, surrendering two runs on five hits through 4 1/3 innings on the hill.
GAME 2 The Colonels and Islanders battled through three scoreless innings before TAMUCC took a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
The Islanders loaded the bases in the fifth and were gifted a run when the next TAMUCC batter was hit by a pitch.
Things got out of hand in the seventh as the Islanders scored four insurance runs to secure a commanding 7-0 advantage.
TAMUCC scored one final run in the eighth, before closing out the ballgame.
Brandon Harigel and Knauth notched the only two hits for Nicholls.
Zacarias Hardy paced the Islanders with a 3-for-5 outing and a run scored.
Mike Hanchar (0-3) took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits while fanning four batters through five innings on the mound.
David Worrell (2-2) earned the win, holding the Colonels to just two hits through five innings of work.
Nicholls will return to Thibodaux for a three-game home stand against Sam Houston, beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 24. The Colonels will then host Louisiana-Lafayette at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29, live on Cox Sports Television.
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball, visit geauxcolonels.com.
