YOUNGSVILLE, La. - Molly Yoo came out on top in a pitchers duel against Georgia State before
Averi Paden struck out a career-high eight batters in her complete game versus New Mexico as the Nicholls State University softball team picked up 1-0 and 6-1 victories Saturday at the Mardi Gras Mambo.
Nicholls (5-3) will wrap up the tournament on Sunday with a 10 a.m. matchup against SIUE.
Game 1 - Nicholls 1, Georgia State 0
Yoo notched the first shutout of her senior campaign, allowing just three hits while striking out seven, while classmate
Claire Sisco scored the game's lone run in a 1-0 victory over Georgia State.
With the wind howling in, Sisco muscled a deep fly to right for a one-out triple in the fifth.
Ally Mooneyham then pinch hit and delivered another deep fly, allowing Sisco to easily score for the 1-0 lead.
Yoo struck out the side in the bottom half and worked around an error in the sixth. She then retired the Panthers in order in the seventh for the shutout.
Nicholls tallied six hits against Makayla Stephens but struck out nine times, stranding a total of seven runners. Sisco finished 3-for-3 with a walk while
Brynne Songy added two hits.
Laylin Sturm had the sixth hit on a bunt single.
Game 2 - Nicholls 6, New Mexico 1
The Colonels jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first and it was more than enough for Paden as Nicholls swept its Saturday doubleheader.
Sisco and
Erin Krause both singled in the first and an error filled the bases for Songy. On the second pitch, Songy ripped a base hit up the middle for a 2-0 advantage. New Mexico went to the bullpen but after a walk,
Lilianna Robledo doubled the lead with a base hit to right.
In the second, Sturm reached on a walk, stole second, then Sisco struck out but reached on a wild pitch. Mooneyham followed with an RBI fielder's choice to make it 5-0.
All of Paden's strikeouts came in the first five innings before two errors allowed a run to score in the sixth. Still with two on and no outs, Krause fielded a hard grounder at third, stepped on the bag and fired to first for a double play. Paden then got out of the frame with a groundout.
In the seventh, Krause got the run back with an RBI single before Paden sat down the Lobos in order for the complete game.
Krause and Robledo led the offense with two hits each. Paden gave up just three hits and walked one.
