THIBODAUX, La. - Playing on its home turf for the first time this season, the Nicholls State University softball team piled up 24 hits for a combined 27 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Alcorn State, winning 10-2 and 17-1 in five-inning games on Wednesday afternoon at Swanner Field at Geo Surfaces Park.
Nicholls upped its record to 5-6 on the season with the wins while Alcorn slipped to 3-7.
The Colonels return to action this weekend in Baton Rouge for the LSU Invitational, starting with Friday games against Penn State (10:30 am) and Southern Miss (1 p.m.).
Game 1 - Nicholls 10, Alcorn 2 (5 inn.)
The Colonels scored eight runs in the first inning and cruised to a 10-2 win over the Lady Braves.
Claire Sisco capped the inning when she sprayed a hit to left field and past a diving Lady Brave. The ball bounced to the wall and Sisco was able to make it all the way home for an inside-the-park homer. `
Erin Krause and
Laylin Sturm also had RBI hits in the frame.
Brynne Songy added to the lead in the second with an RBI single, then Alcorn stayed alive with two runs in the fifth. Yahnya Acevedo drove in a run on an infield single and then a Colonel error made it 9-2.
But in the bottom half,
Alyssa Naquin ended the game with a bases-loaded single to center for the walk-off win.
Molly VandenBout threw 3.0 innings for the win, struck out three, and allowed three hits.
Katy Sanders struck out two in 2.0 innings.
Game 2 - Nicholls 17, Alcorn 1 (5 inn.)
The Colonels scored eight runs again in the first and added an eight-run third to complete the doubleheader sweep of Alcorn with a 17-1 victory.
A total of six Colonels had two hits each -- Sisco, Sanders, VandenBout,
Ally Mooneyham,
Kayleigh Lugowski, and
Sydni Stevens -- as Nicholls racked up 15 in the win.
Krause led off the scoring with a 2-run single in the first, and drove in the eighth run of the frame on a groundout. Sanders also drove in two on a single, and VandenBout plated one with a double.
Alcorn took advantage of three consecutive walks to score a run in the second, but it would be its lone run of the game. Nicholls got the run back in the bottom half on a Lugowski single.
In the Colonel third, after runs scored on a bases-loaded walk and a sac fly, Sanders crushed a double to right center for three RBIs. Stevens followed with an RBI single before Mooneyham doubled in the final two runs.
Sierra Ouellette gave up two hits and walked three in 3.0 innings for the win.
Madison Fulfer pitched 2.0 innings with two hits allowed and three strikeouts.
