HAMMOND, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team scored first on Sunday but it was all Southeastern La. the rest of the way as the Lions cruised to a 15-2 victory in seven innings and secured a 2-1 series win over the Colonels.
 
Nicholls (12-17, 3-9 SLC) grabbed a first-inning lead after Ethan Valdez singled through the right side and eventually came home on a Kyle Knauth groundout.
 
Southeastern La. responded in a major way, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the inning. A walk and a pair of singles drove in one run, before a grand slam cleared the bases and put the Lions up, 5-1.
 
Southeastern La. added two runs in the second, three runs in the fourth and five runs in the sixth to take a commanding 15-1 advantage.
 
The Colonels scored one run in the seventh inning, but would come no closer as the Lions held on for the victory.
 
Knauth finished 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead Nicholls offensively. Valdez went 2-for-4 with a run and Gavin Wehby hit 1-for-2.
 
Carson Crites paced the Lion offense with a 2-for-3 outing, three runs and two RBIs.
 
Mike Hanchar (0-4) took the loss, surrendering seven runs on five hits through two innings on the mound.
 
Domenick Carlini (4-0) picked up the win, allowing just two runs (one earned) on five hits in a complete-game effort.
 
The Colonels will next head to Beaumont, Texas for a two-game non-conference series against Lamar, beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Nicholls will then take I10 to San Antonio for a date with Incarnate Word.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball, visit geauxcolonels.com.