THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University softball team will make its 2019 debut at Swanner Field Wednesday when the Colonels host Southern Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Admission to all home games is free of charge. The Colonels will not have another game in Thibodaux until March 13 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Nicholls went 3-2 in its opening weekend in the Lion Classic, picking up two wins against San Jose State and one over Southern Illinois. The two losses came by one run against SIU and Northern Illinois.
The Colonels hit .289 as a team in Hammond, led by their two middle infielders. Shortstop
Amanda Gianelloni pounded out a team-high seven hits for a .467 average and drove in five. She totaled three doubles and was one of four Colonels to take one out of the park.
Jewel Lara, who had a team-high six RBIs, had a grand slam and
Caitlin Garcia took two deep in her first weekend as a Colonel.
Samantha Dares hit a 2-run shot in the Colonels' late rally against SIU.
At second base,
Emma Holland was solid all around, batting .462 with six singles. In the field, she totaled 10 assists and helped the Colonels turn four double plays.
In the circle,
Megan Landry continued her stellar career with three complete games, striking out 21 on her way to a pair of victories. She notched a 10-strikeout effort in the Colonels' 2-1 loss to NIU, finishing the weekend 2-1 with a 1.56 ERA. Landry also eclipsed 400 strikeouts for her career, becoming only the fifth Colonel to do so.
The Colonels ended their championship season with a 10-game home winning streak. The last loss was a 15-inning affair against Abilene Christian on April 6. Nicholls posted an 18-2 record at home in 2018 and are 49-6 in the last three seasons.
Southern Miss (5-0) was perfect in its opening weekend, sweeping its own tournament. The Golden Eagles notched run-rule wins in four of the matchups, including three combined against Southland members HBU and Central Arkansas.
USM made easy work of the opposing pitching staffs with four players batting .500 or better in the five games. The quartet of Chelsi Brown, Chase Nelson, Alyssa Davis, and Lacey Sumerlin combined for six doubles, two triples, two homers, and 16 RBIs. Brown led the squad with a .583 average and had one of the team's four home runs.
Abby Trahan headed the pitching staff with a 2-0 record, nine strikeouts, and a 1.17 ERA. She tossed a complete game shutout in Southern Miss' 9-0 five-inning win over HBU.
Nicholls has won the last four games against Southern Miss, sweeping the two-game series the last two years. Before the winning streak, the Colonels had lost five in a row to USM.
FOLLOW ALONG
The Colonel softball team can be followed all season long on Twitter @Nicholls_SB.
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