Box Score | Photos | Bracket | Tournament Page

LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Nicholls State University softball team's magical season did not have the storybook ending that it deserved as the Colonels' late rally in the seventh came up empty in a 1-0 loss to Stephen F. Austin in the Southland Conference Tournament on late Thursday night at Cowgirl Diamond.
 
Late-inning heroics have been a regular thing for the second-seeded Colonels (39-17) this season and it looked to be the case once again as they loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh inning. But it turned out to be fifth-seed Stephen F. Austin's day as the Ladyjacks, who scored 11 runs in the seventh for a comeback victory over Sam Houston earlier in the day, turned a double play on a fly out to right as Heather Hollingsworth threw out Kasey Frederick trying to score at home.
 
Down to the final out, senior Kayla Prater ripped a shot to third, but the ball deflected off the glove of Taylor LeFlore and right to shortstop Courtney Chambers, who fired to first just in time to send SFA to the final day of the tournament.
 
Offense was tough to come by for both teams as Colonel freshman Megan Landry (15-8) and SFA's Callee Guffey (13-5) allowed a combined five hits. Landry was magnificent in her first career postseason start, tossing a two-hitter, but both came in the fourth which led to the game's only run.
 
Brittany Lewis, who led the conference in league play with a .500 batting average, singled to right to start the fourth for SFA (28-28), breaking up Landry's no-hitter, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Landry picked up one of her two strikeouts in the game, Lewis stole third and scored on an RBI single to center by Faith Talley.
 
Nicholls, which had a three straight leadoff hits off of Guffey in the second, third and fourth innings, could not come up with the timely hit which fueled the offense all season. Villafranco led off the second with a double, moved to third on a single by Brooke Morris, but was left stranded after a pop out to end the inning. Prater singled to start the third and Villafranco notched her second hit to begin the fourth; however, Guffey found a way to get out of all three innings without a run crossing the plate.
 
The Colonels were retired in order in the fifth and sixth before Frederick was hit by a pitch to start the seventh. The next batter, Alexis Huss, surprised everyone by laying down a bunt and she reached safely for a base hit. Morris then loaded the bases with no outs after reaching on a fielder's choice.
 
Nicholls elected to use a pinch hitter in Gretchen Morgan, and the freshman sent a shallow fly ball into right field for the first out. Frederick tagged up on the play and as she raced home, Hollingsworth threw a strike to the catcher for the 9-2 double play. SFA had one more trick left as they turned a rare 5-6-3 putout to end the Colonels' season.
 
Nicholls closed out the year with 39 wins, which is the most for the program since 1998, as well as it first postseason victory since the 2008 tournament. The Colonels graduate seven seniors – Kristen Ahearn, Hannah Haydel, Huss, Haley Parkerson, Danielle Phillips, Cari Spain and Prater – but return several key players including All-Southland honorees Amanda Gianelloni, Landry, Morgan and Villafranco.