THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team squandered a six-run lead in the ninth against Southern University after two errors and three walks, but the Colonels duplicated last Sunday's winning formula by defeating the Jaguars on a walk-off wild pitch Wednesday night at Ray E. Didier Field.
After Southern (4-12) tied the game to force Nicholls to bat in the bottom of the ninth,
Gavin Wehby led off the frame with a base hit up the middle. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a grounder, and after the Jaguars intentionally walked
Dillon Belle Viel, Wehby scored on a wild pitch by Troy Lewis to give Nicholls the win.
The win was the second consecutive walk-off victory on a wild pitch for the Colonels, who defeated HBU in the same fashion last weekend. With the victory, the Colonels improved to 13-8 overall and 10-3 at home.
Nicholls finished with 13 hits, led by Wehby's 3-for-4 night. Despite reaching double figures in hits for the seventh time this season, it wasn't until
Ethan Valdez hit a solo home run to left in the fifth that Nicholls cracked the scoring column.
Valdez's second homer opened the flood gates for the offense as the Colonels pounded out six hits for six runs in the sixth.
Norry Galjour got things started with an RBI single,
Troy Cahill drove in two with a base knock to center and Valdez legged out a triple for two more to make the score 6-0.
Joey Morales capped the inning with a run-scoring single to leftcenter.
Southern plated three in the seventh, highlighted by a two-run single from John Pope, but Nicholls answered in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly by
Alex Tucker. The Colonels then added one more in the eighth on a groundout by Valdez.
Trailing 9-3, Southern's rally started when Wehby misplayed a flyball in right that allowed two runners to score. The Jaguars then made it 9-7 after scoring two on a single and a double. Nicholls brought in
Adam Tarver (3-0) to pitch and he walked two to load the bases. Javeayan Williams, who had four hits on the night for Southern, came to the plate and hit a sharp grounder up the middle, but the ball was booted by Valdez and two runners came home to tie the score.
Nicholls used seven pitchers on the night, with
Kyle Craft going 4.0 innings with five hits in the start.
Alex Ernestine pitched two hitless innings with one strikeout, while
Daniel Goff was charged with the three runs in the seventh.
Javon Rigsby also gave up three earned after coming in to start the ninth.
Valdez finished with two hits and four RBIs, with Cahill added two hits including a double.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will head to Lake Charles for a three-game series at McNeese, starting Friday, March 24. The first pitcher for the opener is scheduled for 6 p.m.
