THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University baseball team fell 13-3 against Tulane on Tuesday night in its final tune-up before Southland Conference play.

Nicholls (5-4) led early thanks to a Matt Melancon solo home run but Tulane (7-1) plated three runs in the third and never looked back. Jaden Collura drove in a run in the seventh to cut the deficit to 6-3 before the Green Wave exploded for seven runs in the final two innings for the road victory.

The Colonels had six hits, led by Karson Irvin who was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. He came across the plate on Collura's single and also scored on an error in the fifth.

Koen van 'T Klooster suffered the loss with five earned runs in 4.0 innings. He held Tulane in check in his first two innings with five strikeouts but ran into trouble in the third after walking two and hitting another. Connor Rasmussen tied the game up at 1-1 with an RBI single before another run scored on a balk. Tulane went up 3-1 in the inning with a sac fly.

The Green Wave pushed their lead to 6-2 with a run in the fourth and fifth innings. 

After scoring in the fifth, Irvin started the seventh with a base hit. Collura's base hit snuck through the right side, allowing Irvin to score from second. Logan Mallard followed with a pinch-hit single to put runners on the corners with two down, but Jacob Moore took over on the mound and got a swinging strikeout. The Wave used nine pitchers and totaled 14 strikeouts.

Tulane used a combined six hits in the final two innings to plate seven runs. 

The Colonel pitching staff racked up 15 strikeouts with van't Klooster finishing with seven. 

ON DECK
The Red & Gray will open SLC play this weekend at McNeese, starting Friday with a 6:00 p.m. first pitch.