HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Nicholls State University softball team defeated Southern Miss twice Sunday, 3-2 and 3-1, to close out a successful weekend in the Black and Gold Invitational.
The wins improved the Colonels to record to 9-2 after going 3-1 for the weekend. Nicholls will return home for a doubleheader Tuesday against Alcorn State. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Game 1 – Nicholls 3, Southern Miss 2
In a game that took nearly 41 hours to complete, the Colonels scored two runs in the top of the seventh to defeat the Golden Eagles, 3-2.
Nicholls and Southern started the game Friday night with USM leading 2-1 in the fifth inning before rain caused the game to be suspended until Sunday. The teams were scheduled to play at noon Sunday, so officials elected to continue Friday's game at 11 a.m. prior.
The score remained at 2-1 heading into the seventh, and Nicholls quickly put a runner in scoring position following a leadoff bunt single by
Haley Stevenson and an error by USM.
Samantha Mracich smacked a double to right center to even the score, and
Brooke Morris delivered the go-ahead run on a grounder to second.
In the bottom half,
Jackie Johnson (3-1) sat down the Golden Eagles in order and ended the game with her 11th strikeout. Johnson tossed all seven innings, allowing two earned on four hits.
In action on Friday, Johnson struggled with her control in the third, issuing three walks with one coming with the bases loaded. But she fanned the next two batters to leave the bags full and kept the deficit at 1-0.
Nicholls immediately got the run back in the fourth when
Kimmie Rodriguez sent a towering shot into left for a solo home run.
Southern Miss regained the lead in the fifth after another walk led to an RBI double by Tori Dew, who had both RBIs for USM.
Samantha Robles was tagged with the loss for Southern Miss, allowing one earned run in three innings of relief.
Game 2 – Nicholls 3, Southern Miss 1
The Colonels pushed across two runs in the second and it was all the support
Megan Landry needed as Nicholls swept Southern Miss with a 3-1 victory.
In the second, the first run came on a fielding gaff on a
Jessica Taylor single to right. Rodriguez led off the inning with a walk and stole second, and she was able to come home on the error. Stevenson put down a sac bunt and
Caitlyn Carroll then made it 2-0 with a base hit to right.
Through the first three innings, Landry struck out five and kept USM hitless, but the Golden Eagles finally got to her in the fourth. A leadoff walk and a sacrifice put a runner in scoring position before Chase Nelson singled to center. On the play, a throwing error resulted in an unearned run, making the score 2-1 Colonels.
Taylor added an insurance run in the sixth for the Red and Gray on a base hit to plate Rodriguez, who doubled with two down.
Landry (5-1) was outstanding once again, striking out 10 while surrendering just the lone hit in the fourth.
On offense, Nicholls finished with seven hits, getting two from Taylor and Morris.
