CONWAY, Ark. – The Nicholls State University softball team received a home run from
Melise Gossen, but it would be the only run to score in a 7-1 loss in the series finale at Central Arkansas Sunday at Farris Field.
The defeat was the seventh consecutive for the Colonels (8-20, 1-14 SLC) and kept them winless on the road at 0-8. The Red and Gray will have a chance to end the drought next weekend at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Both teams finished with six hits, but the Colonel pitching struggled to find the strike zone and walked nine batters. Six of the seven runners to score for UCA reached on walks.
Catcher
Caitlin Garcia accounted for two of the hits for Nicholls. Freshman
Ashlyn Reavis added another hit to give her five for the series.
UCA went ahead 4-0 in the second inning after Reagan Sperling cleared the bases on one swing. With two outs and the bases loaded, Sperling hit a hard single to right and it bounced past a charging
Jaida Choice and rolled all the way to the fence. Sperling hustled around the bases for the early four-run lead.
The teams traded solo homers in the next two innings, starting with UCA's Jaylee Engelkes hitting one in the third. Gossen answered in the fourth, sending a 1-0 pitch from Kayla Beaver over the fence in left center to lead off the frame. But Beaver retired the next three and it started a string of nine consecutive batters retired for the Colonels.
Jordan Johnson took over in the circle in the fifth and sixth for UCA, and her perfect outing was ended when Garcia singled to start the seventh. Nicholls put on another runner with one out after an error before the Bears got a strikeout and pickoff to end the game.
Taryn Westbrook took the loss, allowing two earned runs on two hits in 1.2 innings and walked three.
Jordan Moon tossed 3.0 innings with two earned on three hits and issued five free passes.
Emily Danehower also allowed a run on one hit in 1.1 innings.
