PDF BOX
THIBODAUX, La. – Senior
Hannah Haydel tossed her first career no-hitter and
Jessica Taylor provided the offense with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth as the Nicholls State University softball team won 1-0 on '90s Night' against Northwestern State on Friday at the Colonel Softball Complex.
Haydel, who has flirted with several no-hitters in her career, blanked Northwestern State's high-powered offense while striking out seven. The only two runners to reach base were on a hit batter on the first pitch of the game and a two-out error in the sixth. In the seventh, Nicholls received some great glove work by freshman
Amanda Gianelloni for the first two outs before senior
Danielle Phillips caught a fly ball in center field to secure the no-hitter.
With the win, Nicholls improved to 31-14 overall and 14-4 in league play. The Colonels and Northwestern State (24-20, 7-12) will wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader at noon.
The Colonels had six hits in the win, led by two each from
Veronica Villafranco and
Alexis Huss. Gianelloni had a single in the first inning off of Micaela Bouvier (13-8), who pitched all six innings for the visitors. Bouvier struck out three in the loss and stranded seven runners on base.
Three of the hits came in the seventh, started on a one-out single up the gut by Villafranco. Huss followed suit with a single up the middle and
Brooke Morris reached on a fielder's choice as NSU threw out the lead runner on third for the second out. On a 1-0 pitch, Taylor slapped a single over the short stop which allowed pinch runner
Kasey Frederick to score from second for the 1-0 lead.
The lone run proved to be all Haydel needed as she upped her record to 16-7 on the year. After hitting the first batter she faced, she went on to strike out seven batters en route to retiring 17 in a row before a two-out error by Gianelloni in the sixth. Gianelloni's mishap came right after she saved a potential hit as Sidney Salmans smacked a sharp grounder to
Haley Stevenson at third and the ball deflected off her glove, was scooped up by Gianelloni who then fired it to first to beat the runner.
Haydel's no-hitter is the second one for catcher
Kayla Prater this season, who caught freshman
Megan Landry's in her first career start against Mississippi Valley State. Landry's came in five innings as Nicholls won via run-rule, 11-0.
The Colonels remain a 1.5 games back in the standings of first-place McNeese State, which defeated Southeastern Louisiana on Friday night, 3-1.