BEAUMONT, Texas - In what turned out to be the longest conference game in Southland history, a
Basiel Williams RBI single in the 19th inning broke a long scoreless drought as the Nicholls State University baseball team knocked off Lamar University, 9-8, Friday night in the series opener at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
It marked the second straight extra-inning game for the Colonels as they improved to 16-12 overall and 3-1 in the SLC. In addition to being the most innings in a league game, it was the longest outing for Nicholls since its 16-inning victory over San Jose State in 2019.
Garrett Felix started the decisive inning with a one-out double off the wall. Following a strikeout, Williams notched his career-best fifth base hit with a grounder back up the middle. Felix trotted home for the game's first run since the seventh inning.
In the bottom of the 19th,
Harper Jordan gave up a single and a walk before picking up a strikeout and a flyout for the final two outs.
Williams paced the Colonel offense which accounted for 19 hits in the victory. He was 5-for-8 at the plate and finished a homer shy of the cycle. Felix added four hits and
Parker Coddou tallied three hits and three RBIs.
Although he did not pick up a decision,
Nico Saltaformaggio's performance out of the bullpen could not go unnoticed. With the game tied at 8-8, he came in to pitch in the seventh with two down and a runner on second and got out of the inning. It started a stretch of 20 consecutive Cardinals that were retired until he ended up walking three batters in the 14th to load the bases. But
Austin Cain made a highlight stop at third base to end the threat.
The game started with an offensive outburst as the teams combined for 10 runs in the first two innings.
Xane Washington and
Gerardo Villarreal both had RBIs for the Colonels in the opening frame before Lamar pieced together a five-run first. Three free passes by starter
Tyler Theriot and a Colonel error helped aid the Cardinal first, with Ethan Ruiz highlighting the inning for LU with a 2-run single.
Nicholls got two back in the top of the second, with Williams driving in the first run on his triple. He then scored on a Coddou sacrifice fly. LU then took advantage of another Colonel error for a 6-4 lead after two.
Williams doubled and scored in the fourth and then tied the game after scoring in the sixth via an
Edgar Alvarez sacrifice fly. Nicholls took a brief 7-6 lead on another RBI by Villarreal, this time driving in a run on a single. But once again, another defensive miscue and some errant pitching allowed Lamar to retake the lead in the bottom half at 8-7.
The final run before the long scoreless stretch came in the seventh on a Coddou single to right. Felix scored after reaching with a one-out base hit.
While Saltaformaggio with near perfect in his outing, the Colonels threatened to end the game in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings by putting a runner in scoring position. But Jackson Cleveland escaped each time for the Cardinals. He had a similar performance for LU out of the pen, throwing 7.0 shutout innings with seven strikeouts and three hits allowed. Both teams stranded 15 runners for the game.
For the Colonels, Jordan notched the victory with two strikeouts in 3.0 shutout innings of relief.
Cade Evans tossed two scoreless innings in extras as well. Theriot lasted four innings in the start, allowing five earned on six hits and three walks.
ON DECK
The Colonesl will look to clinch the series on Saturday in Game 2. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+ and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.
