NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Nicholls State University softball team received solid showings in the circle by
Molly Yoo and
Averi Paden while
Claire Sisco and
Brynne Songy turned in multi-hit efforts as the Colonels defeated Stephen F. Austin, 7-3, to claim the teams' Southland Conference opening series.
Nicholls (9-14, 2-1 SLC) pieced together three two-run frames in the victory to knock off SFA (10-12, 1-2 SLC) for the second straight game. The last came in the seventh when pinch-hitter
Kayleigh Lugowski and Sisco drove in runs on back-to-back triples to right field. The Ladyjacks got one back in the bottom half before
Lilianna Robledo caught a hard liner at short and doubled up the runner at first to end the game.
The Colonels totaled eight hits in the win and had just two strikeouts while drawing five walks. Two of the hits came in the third when Songy and Robledo gave Nicholls a 2-1 lead with RBI singles. But Kyi'Marri Ester tied the game for SFA in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double off the left field wall.
In the fourth, Yoo allowed three runners to reach after a walk, a base hit, and a hit-by-pitch. With the bags full and two down, Paden took over in the circle and forced a flyout to center to keep SFA off the board.
Nicholls had a similar frame in the fifth to load the bases with
Reagan Heflin tallying a single, but the Colonels were able to take advantage of a pair of wild pitches to grab a 4-2 advantage.
The Red and Gray added a run on an error in the sixth before the run-scoring hits in the seventh by Lugowski and Sisco.
Paden scattered five hits and struck out two in 3.1 innings for the win. Yoo fanned three and surrendered four hits in 3.2 innings.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will return home to host UIW for a three-game set, starting on Friday, Mach 14 with a 4 p.m. doubleheader.
