LAKE CHARLES, La. – An early four-run deficit for the Nicholls State University baseball team proved to be too much to overcome against McNeese as the Colonels fell, 11-8, in the series final Sunday at Joe Miller Park.
With the loss, the Colonels fell to 13-11 overall and 5-4 in league play after being swept by McNeese. The Cowboys improved to 18-6 and remained undefeated in league play at 9-0.
Joey Morales had three of the Colonels' 14 hits on the day and scored three times, while
Chet Niehaus,
Juan Givan and
Quade Smith had two hits each. The 14 hits matched the Colonels' season-high.
McNeese also had double figures in hits, finishing with 13 in the win. Robbie Podorsky paced the Cowboys with a 3-for-5 day and had an RBI.
Mike Hanchar (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season after allowing five earned runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. Hanchar hurt himself in the opening frame as his error kept the inning alive for McNeese and led to a bases clearing double by Nate Fisbeck for a 4-0 lead.
Down 5-0 after two innings, Nicholls scored a pair of runs in the third and fourth frames, but McNeese answered with a lone run in each inning. The Colonels' first run came on a sacrifice fly by
Gavin Wehby and Givan's single made it 5-2 in the third. In the fourth, Smith singled to right to drive in two to put the score at 6-4.
The Colonels' biggest inning of the game came in the sixth as they cranked out five hits for three runs. Niehaus drove in the first two with a base hit and
Alex Tucker put the score at 9-7 McNeese with a run-scoring single to right. But McNeese would keep the bases loaded after forcing a groundout to end the inning.
The Cowboys answered with two runs in the bottom half, scoring on a single by Joe Provenzano and a fielder's choice. Nicholls added one last run in the seventh when Morales doubled then scored on a Niehaus single.
Grant Anderson picked up the win for McNeese after pitching 2.2 innings of relief with six earned runs on six hits.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will step out of league play for its next seven games, starting with a two-game series against Alcorn State at home starting Tuesday, March 28. First pitch at Ray E. Didier Field is scheduled for 6 p.m.
