MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama scored three unanswered runs to defeat the Nicholls State University baseball team 6-3 Wednesday night at Stanky Field.

South Alabama (5-5) broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the sixth with a run and added a pair of runs in the seventh inning. The Colonels brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth and ninth innings, but could not chip into the deficit.

The Colonels got a pair of one-out singles by Alec Paz and Austin France in the eighth, but a rocket up the middle off the bat of Champ Davison was caught by USA pitcher Nick DeSantis who tossed to first for a double play.

In the ninth with one out, Christopher Sandberg reached on an infield single and Wil Ethridge walked. Jaguar Zach Greene would end the threat by retiring the next two batters for the save.

Nicholls (7-7) had eight hits in the loss, led by France who was 2 for 3. A total of six Colonels pitched, with Colin Kremer being charged with the loss. He threw two innings of relief, allowing one unearned run on one hit.

The Colonels scored in the first and fourth innings, but each time South Alabama answered in the bottom half. France drove in Ethan Valdez on an RBI single before USA tied it with its own base-scoring single.

Sandberg made it 2-1 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly, however this time, the Jaguars scored twice in their at-bat.

Valdez tied it again with a sac fly in the fifth before USA scored the final three runs of the game. An RBI single by Carter Perkins made it 4-3 in the sixth, and in the seventh, USA drew two walks with the bases loaded to make the final. The Colonel staff issued 10 walks in the loss.

UP NEXT
The Colonels open Southland Conference play this weekend against New Orleans, with Friday's opener at The Did is scheduled for 6 p.m.