DENTON, Texas – The Nicholls State University softball team took care of business in Saturday's opening game of the Mean Green Spring Fling with a 9-3 win over Houston Baptist, but the Colonels came up short in a pitchers' duel in the second game against host North Texas in a 2-1 loss.
The Colonels (13-8) will take on UNT (10-6) once again to wrap up the tournament on Sunday at 11 a.m. Live stats and a video stream will be available on geauxcolonels.com.
Game 1 – Nicholls 9, Houston Baptist 3 The Colonels used a five-run third inning to take the lead over HBU (8-5) and went on to defeat the Huskies for the second time in as many days, 9-3.
The big inning was fueled by four hits, as well as a couple errors by the Huskies. Trailing 3-1, the Colonels scored the first run of the frame on a RBI fielder's choice by
Kasey Frederick.
Gretchen Morgan then gave Nicholls a 4-3 lead on a 2-run single to right, and the Colonels tacked on one more on an error.
The Red and Gray added two more in the fifth, plating the first on a RBI single by
Haley Parkerson.
Kayla Prater then capped the scoring with a triple for an 8-3 lead.
Hannah Haydel (6-3) earned the win, pitching 2.1 innings of relief. She allowed no hits in her appearance, struck out two and walked one.
Megan Landry started the game, giving up three unearned runs in 3.2 innings of work.
Alexis Huss put Nicholls on the board in the second with a solo homer, her fourth of the season, but the Huskies scored three in the bottom half. A two-out error by
Amanda Gianelloni allowed the first run to score before Demi Janak hit a 2-run home run to give HBU a 3-1 lead.
The Colonels totaled 11 hits in the win, getting two each from Gianelloni, Morgan, Parkerson and
Haley Stevenson.
Taylor Hastings also pitched for the Colonels, tossing a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh.
Game 2 – North Texas 2, Nicholls 1 Hannah Haydel allowed five hits and an earned run in seven innings against North Texas, but her counterpart, Stacey Underwood, was just as impressive as she held the Colonels to three hits as the Mean Green came away with a 2-1 victory.
The game was even at 1-1 after five innings before a RBI single by Karly Williams broke the tie.
Brooke Morris reached on an error in the Colonel sixth to leadoff the frame, but Underwood retired the next six batters to preserve the win.
Gretchen Morgan led the offense with a 2-for-3 outing. After UNT scored an unearned run in the first, Morgan tied the game up in the fourth with a two-out RBI double.
Kasey Frederick singled earlier in the inning and came around to score on Morgan's second hit of the ball game.
Haydel (6-4) struck out three batters and issued one walk, and Underwood (4-3) also had three punchouts and one walk.
