THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University baseball team was unable to hold on to a 3-0 advantage as McNeese scored seven unanswered runs in the final two innings to hand the Colonels a 7-3 loss Tuesday night in a nonconference matchup at Didier Field.
The game served as the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game, presented by the Thibodaux Regional Cancer Institute, as well as the final midweek contest for the Colonels, who host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in league play this weekend for their home finale. Friday's opener is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Nicholls (28-19) was limited to just three hits in the setback with
Wes Toups,
Xane Washington and
Edgar Alvarez recording singles.
Gerardo Villarreal was responsible for the game's first run, driving in Toups on an error in the first inning. In the third, Alvarez' hit gave Nicholls a 2-0 lead before Villarreal made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.
But in the final six innings, only Washington reached base for the Colonels after being hit by a pitch in the seventh. The drought allowed McNeese (31-16) to mount its late-inning comeback.
Josh Leslie started the rally in the eighth with a 2-run homer off of
Chase Gearing. The Cowboys then tied it on a Brad Burckel RBI single.
In the ninth, McNeese had just two hits but took advantage of a handful of Colonel miscues to plate four runs. Nicholls issued two walks and a hit-by-pitch, had two wild pitches and a throwing error on a pickoff.
Brock Barthelemy struck out the side in the ninth to wrap up his three-inning victory.
Devin Desandro made the start for the Colonels, throwing 3.0 shutout innings.
Josh Mancuso also had 2.1 shutout innings and each allowed a pair of hits.
Cade Evans was tagged with the loss, giving up two earned runs in 0.1 innings.
