THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team fell 8-4 to Sam Houston State University Friday night at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.
The Colonels are now 10-20 and 4-6 in the Southland Conference. The Bearkats improved to 22-7 overall and 10-0 in league play.
Senior lefty
Alex Ernestine was handed the loss, dropping his record to 2-3. He threw 5.2 innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with four walks and a strikeout. The trio of redshirt sophomore
Austin Bollinger, freshman
Cyle Clayton and senior
Jarred Scott combined for three scoreless frames.
Senior catcher
Kyle Knauth recorded a team-high three hits, finishing a homer short of the cycle.
SHSU starting pitcher Nick Mikolajchak bettered his record to 5-3, tossing six innings and allowing two runs on five hits. Closer Dakota Mills picked up his sixth save of the season with a three-inning outing.
Knauth plated fellow senior
Ethan Valdez on a double to left-center that commenced the scoring in the first inning.
The Bearkats quickly responded in the top of the second with three runs on a bases-loaded walk, a fielder's choice and an Eric Bohnert single to left field. SHSU padded the advantage with four runs in the third, highlighted by a two-RBI triple from Andrew Fregia.
Knauth led off the sixth with a triple that pegged the bottom of the fence in right-center field. He was later plated on a one-out grounder to first via fellow senior
Lee Clark, cutting the deficit to five at 7-2.
SHSU added an insurance run in the seventh when designated hitter Blake Chisolm scored from second base on a Colonel throwing error during a sacrifice bunt attempt.
Mills did not allow a hit through his first two innings, but Nicholls notched four hits in the ninth inning, including freshman
Nathan Tribble's first career double. Pinch runner
Waylon LeBlanc scored on a sacrifice fly from Valdez, and Tribble came home on Knauth's single. With the tying run on deck, senior
Gage Teer grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the contest.
The second game of the series at the Did is slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
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.