BEAUMONT, Texas - The Nicholls State University softball team won its second Southland road series in as many tries as the Colonels secured the series with a 3-2 win in Friday's opening game of their doubleheader at Lamar but came up short in earning a sweep with a 2-0 loss in the finale.

Nicholls (19-16, 6-3 SLC) will have one midweek contest at Southern Miss this week before hosting Texas A&M-Commerce for a three-game series next weekend. 

Game 1 - Nicholls 3, Lamar 2

The Colonels took the lead in the fifth inning thanks to an RBI triple by Reagan Heflin before escaping with a 3-2 win after a wild finish in the seventh.

Nicholls added a much-needed insurance run in the final frame when Claire Sisco drove in Abby Andersen with a full-count single. Andersen pinch-hit for a single and stole second before scoring for a 3-2 advantage. 

In the bottom half, one-out base hits started a Lamar (23-12, 9-3 SLC) rally against Averi Paden. Nicholls fueled the inning with a botched force out attempt at second on a grounder which allowed a run to score. Then on a pitch in the dirt, Riley Rutherford fired the ball down to third to get the runner but the ball sailed down the third base line and the game-tying run scored. But after an umpire's review, the batter was called out for interfering with the throw. Paden then forced a groundout to Samantha Gwiazda at short who tossed the ball to third for the final out. 

Both teams finished with seven hits with Sisco tallying the lone multi-hit effort for the Colonels.

Lamar scored the first run in the opening inning after Gabby Higbee's throw home to prevent a sacrifice fly attempt sailed over the catcher. The Colonels were kept off the board until the fourth inning when Alexa Poche' demolished a 1-1 offering by Karyana Mitchell over the right field wall and into the parked cars to even the score.

In the fifth, Sisco singled and came around to score on Heflin's second triple of the series. Sisco's RBI in the seventh turned out to be the difference in the game. 

Paden scattered five hits and struck out one in 4.1 innings for the victory. Molly Yoo made the start, allowing an unearned run on two hits in 2.2 innings. Yoo left the game in the third after a double and two walks loaded the bases, but like in last night's win, Paden was able to keep LU off the board.

Game 2 - Lamar 2, Nicholls 0

A pair of run-scoring singles in the fifth inning by Lamar was all that was needed as the Cardinals avoided the sweep with a 2-0 win over the Colonels.

Audrey McNeill, who tossed 11-plus innings in last night's marathon win, shut out Lamar until they pieced together a two-out rally in the decisive fifth. A double and a walk set up Jayne Sepulveda for an RBI single, then Trinity Brandon followed with a slow roller to third for another run. 

Nicholls mounted a comeback in the seventh, starting with singles by Erin Krause and Andersen. But after pinch-hitter Molly VandenBout flew out, the Colonels caught a tough break on the final play. Sisco scorched a line drive to the shortstop and it was dropped, but the runners were forced to hold up. The Cardinals threw to third for the force out and were able to fire to second to get the next runner for a game-ending double play.

McNeill threw all six innings in the loss, allowing six hits while striking out five. On offense, Nicholls had seven hits with Krause going 3-for-3. 

The Colonels had chances to score early against Sabrina Jolin but could not muster a run. A double play ended the first inning before Krause and Brynne Songy reached on two-out singles in the second but were left stranded. Then in the fifth before Lamar scored, Krause and Songy reached base again to start the frame but the next three Colonels were retired.

Lamar also had opportunities to score early but the Colonels came up with some key plays. With runners on second and third with one out, Samantha Gwiazda fielded a grounder at short and fired home in time to prevent a run from scoring. McNeill followed with a strikeout to leave two runners on. 

In the third, Shenita Tucker singled but was thrown out by Songy trying to steal. Then in the next inning with a runner on and two down, Gwiazda came up with another outstanding play. A grounder deflected off of McNeill's glove and Gwiazda cut across the middle of the infield and shoveled the ball to first just in time for the putout. 

For Lamar, Jolin tossed a shutout despite not striking out a batter. It was the fourth game this season that the Colonels did not have a strikeout.