THIBODAUX, La. - Trailing 10-4 after an eight-run inning by the visitors, the Nicholls State University softball team pushed across multiple runs in its final three frames as the Colonels picked up their fifth consecutive Southland Conference series victory with a 12-11 win against Northwestern State on Friday afternoon at Swanner Field at Geo Surfaces Park.

Nicholls (27-21, 17-7 SLC) answered NSU's big fourth inning with three runs in the bottom half and two more in the fifth to make it 10-9. Then in the sixth, Brynne Songy belted her first home run of the season to tie the game and pinch-hitter Sydni Stevens followed with her first homer, a two-run shot, to give Nicholls the edge.

Down to their last out, the Demons used back-to-back doubles to make it a one-run game. However, Sierra Ouellette forced a grounder to first to close out the victory and secure the series.

Ouellette earned the win in relief, striking out five in 3.2 innings. She gave up just three hits with two coming in the final frame. 

Songy paced the offense with a 3-for-3 day at the plate to go along with three RBIs. Erin Krause, Lilianna Robledo, and Laylin Sturm added two hits each. 

Nicholls jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the first and chased Thursday's winning pitcher, Brooklynn Stohler, out of the game in the inning. After an RBI groundout brought home the first run, Songy blasted a double to the center field wall for two runs. Facing the new pitcher, Robledo dropped a base hit down the right field line for the early 4-0 lead.

The Demons scored two in the second, starting with a leadoff homer by Riley Schwisow. NSU added a double and a triple to cut the deficit in half. 

Averi Paden cruised through the Demon lineup in the third before running into trouble in the fourth. NSU tagged her for four hits to go up 6-4. Molly Yoo took over in the circle but the hits kept coming, highlighted by a bases loaded triple by Sophia Livers which made it 10-4. Ouellette subbed in and got a looking strikeout to end the inning. 

In the bottom half, two hit-by-pitches led to a Molly VandenBout sacrifice fly. Then with the bags full, Riley Rutherford smoked a single up the middle for two runs. Two more free passes in the fifth set up a two-run double by Krause to make the score 10-9.

For the sixth, Ouellette worked around a leadoff triple with the help of two strikeouts. In the Colonels' half, Songy launched an 0-1 pitch for the Colonels' sixth homer of the season. After Robledo singled, Stevens upped the home run total to seven with her first career long ball.

Nicholls finishes the regular season with a 14-3 record at home, its best mark since going 18-2 in 2018.

ON DECK
Nicholls will play its final four games on the road, starting Tuesday at Southern. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.