SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Senior Audrey McNeill limited UIW to four hits in nine innings of work while Reagan Heflin and senior Alexa Poche' delivered RBI doubles in the final frame as the Nicholls State University softball team picked up a 4-2 victory in the series finale on Saturday at HEB Field.

Like in Friday's Game 2, UIW (30-14, 14-7 SLC) rallied in the seventh but this time, Nicholls (26-24, 13-8 SLC) was able to hold them to just tying the game. In the ninth, Claire Sisco put down a perfect bunt for a single and scored on Heflin's double before Poche' capped her 3-for-4 day with a double to center fielder for her 100th career RBI and a 4-2 advantage.

McNeill finished off her complete game by retiring UIW in order, helped by a diving grab in right by fellow senior Abby Andersen. McNeill was perfect in extras and retired the last eight Cardinals she faced, with the exception of pitching around UIW's Victoria Altamirano in the seventh. The Cardinal slugger did not record an official at-bat after being walked four times. 

McNeill gave up just one earned run and struck out five, improving to 12-12 on the season. Samantha Portillo was tagged with the loss, giving up two runs in 6.0 innings of relief.

Nicholls struck first with a run in the opening frame. Heflin singled and Erin Krause moved the runners into scoring position with a double. Poche' hit a sacrifice fly for the early lead.

After McNeill struck out the side in the second, UIW tied the game in the third with an unearned run. A one-out walk was followed by a passed ball, and Avalon Sanchez made it 1-1 a groundout. McNeill held up the runner before going to first, but the throw home from Poche' was late.

Poche' put Nicholls back on top in the fifth with another run-scoring double. In the bottom half, the Colonels turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the frame.

Despite a leadoff double by Riley Rutherford in the sixth, Nicholls was unable to add to its lead. Rutherford also had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-3. 

UIW's rally started when Dariane Cram hit a rocket that deflected off of McNeill for an infield single. She moved over on a groundout and came home on a Baylee Lemons single to center. McNeill struck out the next batter and after walking Altamirano, she forced a grounder to third to send the game into extras.

The contest was the Colonels' fourth extra-inning game this season and third in conference. Nicholls won against Southern Miss, Lamar and UIW, but fell to HCU.

Heflin and Sisco also turned in multi-hit efforts for the offense and Heflin scored three runs. The Colonels totaled 13 hits in the win which was their second most in league play. 

ON DECK
Nicholls will wrap up the regular season with Senior Weekend against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, starting with a doubleheader on Friday, May 3 at 4 p.m. The Senior Day ceremony will be after Saturday's game which is slated for noon.