THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University softball team allowed 13 hits and the defense had a season-high four errors, but the Colonels still found a way to win as they swept the series against Southeastern Louisiana with a 9-7 victory Saturday at the Colonel Softball Complex.
The win secured the Colonels' (22-11, 8-1 SLC) second home conference sweep in as many series and moved their record to 10-0 in Thibodaux. It is also the fifth sweep at home since the start of the 2016 season.
It was not an easy victory for the Red and Gray as Southeastern (14-18, 3-6) scored in each of the first four innings, but Nicholls (22-11, 8-1 SLC) answered each time and never trailed after batting in each frame. With Nicholls leading 6-5 after three, a storm came through and caused a four-hour and seven-minute delay.
Following the delay, the Colonels pulled away in the fifth with two runs to make the score 9-6.
Amanda Gianelloni plated the first run on a sacrifice fly and SLU committed one of its four errors for the game on a base hit by
Sydney Bourg to allow another run to score.
In the seventh,
Megan Landry came back into the game after leaving in the first following a rough start where the Lady Lions tagged her for four hits and a run. Landry allowed the first three batters to reach on two walks and a single before SLU's Grace DeLee singled to make the score 9-7. But Landry settled in and caught a liner for the first out, struck out the next batter and catcher
Moriah Strother caught a pop up behind the plate to end the game.
Jackie Johnson (9-6) picked up the win for Nicholls, throwing 5.2 innings with three earned runs on seven hits. Johnson was instrumental in limiting SLU to the lone run in the first, coming in with the bases loaded and only one out. She forced a liner to first before picking up her only strikeout of the game to end the threat.
The Colonels finished with nine hits, headed by
Samantha Mracich and
Kasey Frederick with two each. After SLU scored three in the third to take a 5-3 lead, Mracicih capped a three-run bottom half for Nicholls on a two-run single with the bases loaded.
Of the 16 runs scored in the game, only seven were earned due to the spotty fielding by both teams. The first seven runs to cross the plate for the Colonels were unearned, including one off of Kasey Nielson who took the loss after throwing 0.2 innings.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will not play a midweek game as it prepares for the long trip to Central Arkansas this weekend. Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m.
For the latest news on Colonel softball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_SB.
