Molly Yoo - HCU
Jailen Leach
0
HCU HCU 13-23, 6-10 SLC
4
Winner Nicholls NICH 20-20, 10-6 SLC
HCU HCU
13-23, 6-10 SLC
0
Final
4
Nicholls NICH
20-20, 10-6 SLC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
HCU HCU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1
Nicholls NICH 0 0 1 0 3 0 X 4 7 0

W: Yoo, Molly (8-7) L: Hammack, Leah (5-8)

1
HCU HCU 13-24, 6-11 SLC
3
Winner Nicholls NICH 21-20, 11-6 SLC
HCU HCU
13-24, 6-11 SLC
1
Final
3
Nicholls NICH
21-20, 11-6 SLC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
HCU HCU 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 3
Nicholls NICH 1 1 0 0 1 0 X 3 7 0

W: VandenBout, Molly (4-4) L: Pitman, Cara (6-6) S: Paden, Averi (1)

Game Recap: Softball |

Defense, Pitching Fuels Colonels in Doubleheader Sweep of HCU

THIBODAUX, La. - While the bats finally cooled off a bit for the Nicholls State University softball team, the Colonels had strong pitching and defense to pick up 4-0 and 3-1 victories over HCU on Tuesday at Swanner Field at Geo Surfaces Park. 

With the wins, Nicholls (21-20, 11-6 SLC) extends its winning streak to 11 games and secures its third consecutive Southland series victory. HCU slips to 13-24 overall and 6-11 in the SLC. The teams will wrap up the series on Wednesday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.

Game 1 - Nicholls 4, HCU 0

Molly Yoo tossed a shutout, Erin Krause continued to swing a hot bat with two hits and three RBIs, and Brynne Songy went 3-for-3 as the Colonels took the opener over HCU, 4-0.

The game was scoreless until the third when Krause doubled in the first run of the day. In the fifth, she chopped a single through the right side and drove in two more for a 3-0 advantage. Songy added a run in the frame with an RBI single.

Yoo struck out four batters as she secured a win for the third straight time in the Colonels' opening game. She did not allow any free passes and only one hit was for extra bases. The Colonel defense helped out as well with two double plays.

Nicholls saw its string of nine consecutive games with at least 10 hits come to an end, finishing with seven against Leah Hammack, who walked two and struck out one.

Game 2 - Nicholls 3, HCU 1

Molly VandenBout threw five solid innings while Averi Paden picked up her first save as Nicholls clinched the series with a 3-1 victory.

Krause once again provided the offense by driving in Claire Sisco in the opening inning. Sisco tripled before Krause dropped a single in the outfield for a 1-0 lead. Then in the next frame, she went back up the middle for an RBI single to plate Laylin Sturm.

HCU tagged VandenBout with three hits in the fifth to crack the scoring column. Keely Castillo drove in the first run of the day for HCU with an RBI single to right center. Then with two on and two outs, center fielder Carmella Muccilli chased down a deep fly in the gap and made a running catch to keep the 2-1 lead. However, Nicholls got the run back in the bottom half on a Riley Rutherford double off the wall.  

Paden allowed a leadoff single in the sixth before retiring the next six batters for her first save of the season.

VandenBout struck out five in 5.0 innings, giving up the lone run on four hits. Her counterpart, Cara Piitman, threw all six innings with two earned runs on seven hits.