CONWAY, Ark. – Senior
Jackie Johnson put together a masterful pitching performance in the second game of Friday's doubleheader at Central Arkansas to lift the Nicholls State University softball team to a 3-1 win in extra innings after falling in the opener, 6-1.
With the split, Nicholls enters Saturday's finale with UCA at 23-12 on the season and 9-2 in the Southland. First pitch for the rubber match is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Game 1 – UCA 6, Nicholls 1
A grand slam by in the second inning by Bailey Reynolds proved to be more than enough for UCA as the Colonels fell 6-1 in the first game.
Despite running into trouble in the second,
Megan Landry (11-6) went all six innings for the Colonels, surrendering five hits and struck out four. UCA tagged Landry for two hits in the second before she hit the next batter to load the bases. Reynolds then took an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left for the early lead.
After UCA added a run on a double steal in the fourth, Nicholls had two hits off of starter Kayla Gomness to score its first run of the game.
Moriah Strother singled and moved to third on a double by
Haley Stevenson. But Gomness fielded a grounder by Mracich for the second out, which allowed a run to score, before getting a rare strikeout of
Brooke Morris to end the inning. UCA immediately got the run back in the bottom half on a sac fly.
The Colonels struck out a season-high nine times against Gomness (8-10), who limited Nicholls to four hits.
Amanda Gianelloni and
Brooklyn Devine had the other two singles for the Colonels.
Game 2 – Nicholls 3, UCA 1 (8 inn.)
Jackie Johnson allowed just three hits and struck out six in eight innings and the Colonels grabbed the lead for good in the extra frame on a base hit from
Kasey Frederick as they defeated UCA, 3-1, to pick up a split.
Nicholls broke the scoreless tie in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by
Amanda Gianelloni, who also drove in the final run of the night on a sac fly. But UCA answered with a triple by Cylla Hill in the seventh and tied the game on a sac fly.
The Colonels used their own leadoff triple from
Sydney Bourg in the eighth to regain the lead. After Mracich followed by reaching on an error, reigning Southland Hitter of the Week, Frederick, singled to center to drive in Bourg and give Nicholls a 2-1 advantage.
Holding a 3-1 lead, Johnson (10-6) issued a leadoff single in the eighth before going on to retire the next three.
Friday's win marked the sixth time Johnson has allowed three or fewer hits, with three coming in conference play. She is now 5-0 in league play with a 1.19 ERA and a .148 opponent batting average.
Nicholls had seven hits in the victory, led by two from Mracich which included a triple.
Brooklyn Devine singled for the second straight game and
Veronica Villafranco added a hit.
Ellie Reaves (2-7) took the loss, allowing two earned runs in 8.0 innings. She finished with five strikeouts and walked two.
