THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University softball team rallied from a three-run deficit against Northwestern State to pick up a victory in eighth innings, winning 4-3 via a walkoff Saturday afternoon at Swanner Field at GeoSurfaces Park.
With the win, Nicholls (18-13, 5-4 SLC) moved back to over .500 in league play and avoided its first series sweep. Northwestern State slipped to 16-13 overall and 3-3.
After falling behind 3-0 through three innings, the Colonels scored a run in fourth, fifth and six innings to tie the game. Then in the eighth with the top of the batting order due up,
Abby Andersen,
Claire Sisco and
Erin Krause all singled to load the bases with no outs.
Alexa Poche' then sprayed a hit to left for the walkoff victory.
Poche' finished off her big day with her second hit and third RBI. She accounted for the first run on a sacrifice fly and tied the game in the sixth with an RBI double. Krause and Sisco also had two hits for the Colonels.
Northwestern State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to three singles off of Colonel starter
Audrey McNeill. The first scored on an RBI groundout before Makenzie Chaffin drove in the second with a base hit. Chaffin was a perfect 4-for-4 in the game, adding an RBI single in the third.
Although
Jensen Gremillion was responsible for the run allowed in the third, she posted a strong showing out of the bullpen for the Colonels. She finished with two strikeouts and gave up three hits in 4.0 innings.
In the fourth, Krause laced a gapper in right center and legged out a triple for the first hit against NSU starter Maggie Darr. Poche' then followed with her sacrifice fly.
The Colonels scored in the fifth after a pair of Lady Demon errors. The second came on a misplayed single off the bat of
MaKynli Miller to right field, which allowed
Tal Evans to score from first.
In the sixth, a leadoff double by Sisco chased Darr out of the game. But Poche' doubled off of Bronte Rhoden to even it up at 3-3.
Molly Yoo pitched the seventh and eighth innings for the Colonels. She allowed a one-out double to Chaffin in the final frame but picked up a strikeout to leave her stranded on third, setting up the walkoff victory. Yoo struck out two in 2.0 innings for her eighth victory of the season.
ON DECK
Nicholls will head to Texas this weekend for a three-game series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Friday's opening doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.
