THIBODAUX, La. - For the second straight game, the Nicholls State University baseball team struggled to score runs against McNeese as the Cowboys clinched the series with a 5-1 victory Saturday night on Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.

After being shutout on Friday, Nicholls (14-11, 3-2 SLC) managed just a lone run on a Alec Paz groundout in the fourth inning. The Colonels out-hit the Cowboys, 8-6, but left 10 runners stranded.

Chase Gearing (3-2) was tagged with the loss, throwing 7.0 solid innings with three earned runs on six hits. Gearing fanned six and gave away two free passes with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

A leadoff error in the fourth made way for a pair of Cowboy runs. One scored on a sacrifice fly and another came home on a grounout.

Nicholls had three hits in the bottom half, but could only muster the lone run. Edgar Alvarez, Jaden Collura and Jayden Kay all singled before Chance Stone retired the final two batters to keep the McNeese lead at 2-1.

The Cowboys added two runs in the sixth and Nicholls put together a two-out rally in the bottom half to load the bases, but Christian Vega forced a grounder to end the threat. McNeese added another run in the seventh to make the final. 

Kay led Nicholls with two hits while Alec Paz added a double. Kade Morris doubled for McNeese and also had two hits. 

ON DECK
Nicholls will wrap up the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.