NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The Nicholls State University baseball program fought a back-and-forth contest against Tulane down the wire in Tuesday evening's midweek matchup, rallying late behind a three-run seventh to secure the eventual 5-3 victory over the Green Wave at Turchin Field in New Orleans, La.
With the win, Nicholls improves back above .500 to a 25-24 overall record (11-13 Southland) on the year while Tulane falls to a 28-20 mark (10-7 AAC).
The in-state rivalry kicked off in unusual fashion, as
Champ Davison struck first for the Colonels on just the fourth pitch of the game, homering well of the left-field wall. The senior's solo jack bolstered the team's energy for the next four frames as they held onto the 1-0 advantage.
Tulane battled back with a two-run fourth inning, posting the pair on back-to-back singles. In dramatic fashion,
Dane Simon refused to allow the Green Wave lead to stand for very long, blasting a solo home run in the leadoff spot to open the fifth. The sophomore nearly replicated Davison's first frame dinger, lofting the pitch over the left-field fence in just about the same location.
The Green Wave recaptured their one-run edge in the sixth, this time leading off the frame with a triple and scoring on an ensuing wild pitch for a 3-2 advantage. A pair of relievers --
Austin Bollinger and
Colin Kramer (2-2) -- held off further scoring attempts during the inning, setting up a crucial seventh for the Colonels offense.
Davison kicked off the action with a one-out single, and easily moved over to second on a steal during the ensuing at-bat. Fellow senior
Ethan Valdez took advantage of the RISP, powering a single to right-center to knot the game at 3-3. After a failed pickoff attempt allowed Valdez to find his way to second,
Adam Tarver came through in the clutch with a two-out blooper into shallow right field, pushing the Colonels to their first lead since the opening frame.
Following an
Alec Paz single, Simon knocked Tarver home from second on a hard-hit pitch through the left side, setting up Nicholls with a 5-3 edge entering the final stretch of the contest. From there, Kramer and closer
Beau Balado earned their keep, quieting the Tulane bats and picking up the win and save, respectively.
On the mound,
Parker White earned the start for the Red & Gray, working through a solid 5.0 innings with three runs allowed on six hits. Kramer, who improved to 2-2 on the season, and Balado (2 saves) each posted a pair of zeros across the final 3.1 frames of play, surrendering a combined three walks with one strikeout.
UP NEXT
With the non-conference slate wrapped up, the Colonels return to Southland action in their final three home games of the season, hosting a weekend series against Stephen F. Austin running Friday, May 10 through Sunday, May 12.
STAY SOCIAL
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@Nicholls_BASE), Instagram (
@geauxcolonels) and like their Facebook page (
Nicholls Athletics).
-- Geaux Colonels --
