THIBODAUX, La. --  The Nicholls State University baseball team began Southland Conference play with an 8-1 loss to McNeese on Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field on Friday night.
 
Nicholls (4-7, 0-1 SLC) fell behind 4-0 after two full frames as McNeese scored on a ground out in the opening inning before adding three runs via a home run in the second stanza.
 
After starting pitcher Nuno Parache retired the side in the tip of the third, the Colonels scored one run on two hits in the bottom of the inning. Karson Irvin and Keegan Giger got the offense going with back-to-back base knocks. Irvin scored on the next play as Casey Artigues reached on a fielder's choice.
 
Both teams went scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings before the Cowboys extended the lead with one run in both the sixth and seventh frames. McNeese added two runs in the following inning to make the final score.
 
Giger was the most productive Colonel at the plate as he recorded two hits while Artigues, Caston Thompson, and Irvin had one hit apiece. For the pitching staff, Parache fanned five batters and allowed five hits and five runs in six full frames. Dalton Hill struck out two batters in 1.2 innings of work.
 
UP NEXT
The Colonels and Cowboys will play game two of their series on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m.