SAN ANTONIO – The Nicholls State University baseball team held a 6-5 advantage into the ninth inning, but UIW had two straight batters walked and hit by pitch with the bases loaded to steal a 7-6 win in the series finale at Sullivan Field Sunday.
 
The Colonels (14-23, 6-9 SLC) concluded the contest with 10 hits as senior outfielders Lee Clark and Chet Niehaus recorded two apiece. Junior Jake Bedevian pitched seven strong innings, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits. Redshirt sophomore Austin Bollinger fell to 1-4 as he walked a batter that already had a 3-1 count then plunked Ridge Rogers to bring in the game-winning run.
 
Travis Magness was the pitcher of record for the Cardinals (24-13, 10-5 SLC), improving to 2-0 as he closed out the final two outs in the scoreless ninth. Ryan Flores sparked UIW's offense, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
 
Flores ripped a one-out, two-RBI single through the right side in the first inning to give the Cardinals an early 2-0 advantage. Nicholls tied the game with RBI singles by Niehaus and fellow senior Ethan Valdez in the third.
 
The Colonels tallied one run in the fourth and fifth with a Dane Simon RBI single and Niehaus solo homer, respectively.
 
Eddy Gonzales prompted UIW's late surge in the seventh when he struck a two-out RBI single that scored Samuel Gutierrez. Nicholls quickly countered with two runs in the next half-inning, taking a 6-3 margin into the bottom of the eighth.
 
The Cardinals completed the improbable comeback by recording two runs on three hits in the eighth followed by the two-run ninth.
 
The Colonels return to the Did on Wednesday to battle Mississippi Valley State. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
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.