THIBODAUX, La. - Northwestern State scored nine runs in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie as the Nicholls State University baseball team was unable to pick up the sweep, falling 10-7 Saturday afternoon on Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field. 

After stellar performances in the first two games to clinch the series, the Colonel pitching staff gave up a season-high 17 hits to the Demons (16-18, 6-6 SLC). NSU totaled nine in the decisive sixth to put the game out of reach, despite a late rally by the Colonels.

Nicholls (19-14, 7-5 SLC) reached double figures in hits with 10, with three coming in a four-run ninth. Edgar Alvarez highlighted the inning with a 3-run home run, his sixth homer of the season. Jayden Kay drove in the final run on an RBI double.

Kay and Dane Simon led the Colonel offense with two hits each. Simon scored in the first after a throwing error on his stolen base allowed him to come home.

Northwestern State tied it up in the fourth on an RBI single and broke open the game in the sixth. Only one of the Demon's nine hits was for extra bases - a 2-run double by Gray Rowlett. Including starting pitcher Nick Heckman (1-3), five Colonels pitched in the inning.

Nicholls got one back in the bottom half on an Alec Paz groundout, then Austin Trahan legged out an infield single in the eighth to make the count 10-3 Demons. 

Heckman allowed 10 hits for four earned runs and struck out one. Josh Mancuso tossed 2.1 shutout innings and Bradley Ely tossed a perfect ninth.

Drayton Brown (4-3) earned the win with four strikeouts in 6.0 innings. On offense, Rowlett and Larson Fontenot had three-hit games while Bryce Holmes racked up four hits and two RBIs.