THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University softball team continued its dominant play at home as the Colonels used seven runs in the fifth inning to take the lead over UIW and added four more in the sixth for an 11-3 run-rule victory on Friday night at the Colonel Softball Complex.
After being held to two hits and trailing 1-0 after four-and-half innings, the Colonels exploded for seven runs on seven hits, highlighted by a grand slam from freshman
Amanda Gianelloni. UIW scored two in the top of the sixth, but the Colonels got the two back before
Haley Stevenson ended the game on a bases loaded double that brought in two.
With the win, Nicholls improved to 26-14 on the season, 11-4 in the Southland Conference and 10-1 at home. UIW slipped to 14-24 overall and 5-11 in conference. The series will conclude on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for noon.
The Colonels finished with 13 hits, led by another outstanding night at the plate by
Danielle Phillips, who was 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Over the last nine games, Phillips has two or more hits in seven contests, including four three-hit outings.
Haley Parkerson,
Brooke Morris and Gianelloni all chipped in with two hits each.
Hannah Haydel (14-7) earned the win, tossing 5.1 innings and struck out five. Haydel allowed three earned runs on seven hits before leaving the game in the sixth.
Jackie Johnson pitched the rest of the way, recording the final two outs after walking in a run.
A constant light rain may have hampered the offenses early on as UIW finally cracked the scoring column with a run in the fourth. A leadoff walk led to a run on a sacrifice fly by Natalia Duron to give UIW a 1-0 advantage.
In the Colonel fifth, the home team hit for the cycle, started by two big hits from the bench. With one on and no outs, freshman
Madison Jeffrey pinch hit and delivered a triple to tie the game at 1-1. Head coach
Angel Santiago went to his bench again, and
Veronica Villafranco gave Nicholls a 2-1 lead with a RBI double to right center.
Parkerson then came through with an infield single and Phillips bunted for a base hit to load the bases. The next batter Gianelloni crushed an 0-1 offering over the left center wall and onto the batting cages as Nicholls took a commanding 6-1 lead. But the scoring wasn't finished until Morris recorded her second hit of the frame to drive in one more.
UIW used three hits in the sixth to cut the deficit to 7-3. Duron singled home a run and Darianne Hale drew a bases loaded walk. But Johnson limited the damage by recording a strikeout and a grounder to end the inning.
In the bottom half, Phillips and Gianelloni singled with one out before
Gretchen Morgan drove in a run on a single to right center. Two walks then loaded the bases, setting up Stevenson's walkoff double.
Sarah Leal (4-8) took the loss for UIW, allowing six earned runs on eight hits in 4.0 innings of work. Danielle Ramirez and Brigitte Gauvin led the offense with two hits each.
