THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team received significant contributions from its seniors in a 7-2 victory over McNeese State University Saturday on Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.
 
"[McNeese] battled right back into it and put themselves in position [to win] but our guys never folded," Nicholls head baseball coach Seth Thibodeaux said. "Our guys never surrendered to anything. For our guys to play great defense in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings and find a way to gut out two runs to put the nail in the coffin – that was big."
 
Senior Cayden Hatcher was impressive on the mound, scattering 10 hits and two earned runs through eight innings of work. He improved to 1-2 during his fourth quality start in his last five outings.
 
The Colonels (8-14, 4-4 SLC) used RBI groundouts by senior infielder Gage Teer in the first and third innings to jump out to a 2-0 lead. With the bases loaded and two outs, senior outfielder Lee Clark smacked a bases-clearing double to the left-field wall, increasing Nicholls' cushion to 5-0.
 
Hatcher allowed just four hits through the first five innings before surrendering two runs in the sixth. The Cowboys (8-14, 5-3 SLC) tallied their lone two runs on RBI singles by Jacob Stracner and Jake Cochran.
 
Senior catcher Kyle Knauth answered in the seventh when he stroked an opposite-field double that plated fellow senior Chet Niehaus, who earned a seven-pitch walk earlier in the frame. The Colonels final run came in the eighth on some heads-up baserunning by freshman Dane Simon. Simon scored from second base on a slow chopper to the right side off the bat of senior infielder Ethan Valdez.
 
This marks 14 consecutive wins for Nicholls over McNeese in Thibodaux. The series finale at the Did is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Get your season or single-game tickets now by calling 985-448-4790 or visiting nichollstickets.com. Please click here for more information on joining the 2018 Nicholls Baseball Coaches Committee. Visit geauxcolonels.com for the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball. Be sure to follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_BASE.